Got climate anxiety? Expert joins The Tribune to answer questions, offer solutions
Droughts, heatwaves, wildfires, flooding, species extinction — the impacts of climate change are no joke.
As a scientist and climate activist, I understand the pressures of climate anxiety all too well. Some days, I feel so overwhelmed that I consider hopping on a boat with my family and sailing away from it all.
As tempting as that sounds, I know from 20 years of studying marine and earth science that ignoring the climate problem isn’t an option.
I’ve also learned that there are many things we humans can do to remediate what we can no longer fix, and by doing so avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis.
This summer, I will be exploring climate impacts and solutions with The Tribune as a media fellow from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
This is the fourth summer that the Tribune has partnered with AAAS to bring essential science coverage to San Luis Obispo County readers, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to engage with this community.
I have been fascinated by the rugged beauty of the Central Coast since I first moved to California in 2008, and I am excited to explore the area and discover its hidden treasures this summer.
Here’s a little bit about me.
I was born and raised in northeastern Brazil. It was there that I started my career in science, earning a bachelor’s degree in oceanography from the Federal University of Rio Grande.
In the early 2000s, I came to the United States to get a master’s degree in marine science and policy from the University of Delaware, and decided to stay. I moved to Hawaii to work for that state’s Department of Lands and Natural Resources. Then love brought me to California.
Here in the Golden State, I started a family, taught at community colleges and worked for nonprofit organizations creating community science and education programs that engage everyday people in environmental stewardship and scientific research projects.
I am currently wrapping up a five-year doctorate program in earth system science at UC Irvine, and I’m eager to share all that I have learned.
With support from the Heising-Simons Foundation and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, I hope to explore how scientists like me can support communities and individuals and help them transform climate anxiety into science-based, intersectional and effective climate action.
Do you have climate questions? Is there a climate-related topic you’d like me to cover? Send your story ideas to jtavares@thetribunenews.com. You can also fill out the form below.
This story was originally published June 12, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
