April 15th 2021
I attended the virtual Climate Change Research Panel that featured three Ohio State faculty members that study environmental sustainability and climate change. Dr. Joyce Chen’s research is focused on the relationship between migration, climate change, and economic development. Dr. Joel Wainwright’s research looks at political economy and environmental change. Finally, Dr. Robyn Wilson studies the individual decision-making process in relation to climate change. This panel was particularly interesting for me as I took a class this past semester about environmental science and my sister is an environmental science major at the University of Michigan.
The three talked about the greatest barriers they have encountered in their line of work. Motivation, ability, and the need for cooperation are big ones, as well as cross-border issues. This event relates to IA as climate change is a global issue that covers all borders and affects everyone around the world. One of the speakers touched on cooperation by explaining that in Bangladesh, people are experiencing early stages of sea level rises and consequently their soil is being tainted with salt, so they have to switch to cultivating fish because they can no longer rely on their original farming.
One of the key takeaways for me was when asked what gives them hope, one of the speakers said the young generation, specifically what they will bring to the future. He believed our generation already has a conservation identity and that will consequently lead to conservation action. Another specific moment of this panel I thought was extremely interesting was when one of the speakers said we can progress without federal-level action, but federal-level action will make change happen faster. Yet in the future, he does see more growth in government plans for sustainability programs.