Why care about polar regions? These polar climate ambassadors will tell you!
Our first team of Polar Climate Ambassadors: Siya, Arnav, Alina, Janice, Ben and Bella.
Why Choose Polar Climate Ambassador? By Janice Yohannan, Class of 2023 Nyack High School
Despite the growing discussion of climate change, when it comes to the poles, many people’s knowledge is limited to polar bears. The polar regions are a key aspect of the climate crisis, but polar science is not always accessible, especially to young students. The newly established “Polar climate ambassador“Designed to help close gaps in public knowledge. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory First launched in July 2023, the Polar Climate Ambassadors summer program is an exciting opportunity for high school students passionate about climate change to advocate and expand public understanding of the polar regions. sponsor: GR rate and green diamond During the science project, six students were immersed in polar literacy and developed a deeper understanding of the climate system, career paths and science communication. The mission of the Polar Climate Ambassadors is to raise the importance of the polar regions to maintaining the balance of the various Earth systems and to help our community understand the impact of the rapidly changing environment in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
By conducting interviews, developing learning games, creating materials focused on visualizing data, and designing infographics and PSAs (Public Service Announcements), students learn ways to communicate climate science effectively, with a focus on motivating community members and peers to take action. They are simultaneously exposed to the growing field of polar scholarship, as well as the presence and importance of indigenous communities in the Arctic. Each student left with a deep sense of excitement, dealing with climate change in their lives outside of the project, and with a greater awareness of the beauty and importance of the poles. In several articles, our students will share some of their products and discuss their experiences from the program.
Young people sue Montana over climate change, our meeting with Rikki takes place! By: Siya Balapal, student Nanuet High School
4 years after the original cause of action in Held v. Montana, history just unfolded in court! Essentially, 16 plaintiffs successfully sued their state of Montana alleging failures on climate change. It turns out that Montana officials are depriving young people of their right to a clean and healthy environment by exacerbating Montana’s climatic conditions. This is a major turning point not only in climate litigation, but also in the empowerment of youth in government, as these scientists highlight in this video below put together by our team!
Our team of Polar Climate Ambassadors had the wonderful opportunity and honor of meeting Rikki Held this summer at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, where she spent a few days doing some scientific research. Rikki’s surname indicates that the 18-year-old was the only adult plaintiff when the case was filed. A fifth-generation Montana native, Rikki grew up on her family farm and saw first-hand the impact of climate change on their land. She decided to help take a stand when air quality in her state remained very low compared to the rest of the country and harmful pollutants from nearby coal-fired power plants persisted in the air. Her decision gave her a leadership role in the case and required her to give evidence in court of how fossil fuel emissions robbed the fundamental right to a clean and healthy environment.
Ricky is very loyal and has strength and stamina, but one of the things that stands out to us is her ability to stand up and fight Montana, but then step back and pursue other passions. She will soon be leaving the Peace Corps to pursue new opportunities, and it will be very rewarding to see her move on with her life and move on to other things while the case continues.Note that shortly after meeting her, there was a ruling on the case Good for young people!
The case was a precursor to environmental litigation and is likely to form the backbone of future cases as climate change becomes more general. Rikki also mentioned how the decision in this case could affect the decisions in upcoming cases in Hawaii and other states. As cases like this come up, I become more hopeful about the state of the planet. It is important to remember the importance of government action and how young people and adults have power over the direction of our legislation. But what exactly can be done?
Talking to Scientists: Raising Awareness on Topics Important to Polar Science By: Alina Mundankel, Student Clarkstown High School South
Polar science is a growing field that plays a vital role in predicting the future impacts of climate change on a global scale. Researchers in this field overcome obstacles to gather information on ice sheet movement, polar ecology, sea level rise, and other topics to improve our understanding of the complex processes that make up our planet. As the poles continue to undergo rapid transformations due to rising temperatures, understanding the wider impacts of environmental changes and the impacts of these regions on humans is the first step towards change.
This summer’s Polar Climate Ambassadors program devoted part of its time to interviewing various scientists Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. We interviewed researchers from the following projects: green diamond, GR rate, greenland lake, greenland rises and some summer Polar REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) students. Through these interviews, we are able to gain first-hand accounts of exciting field work experiences, challenging and rewarding moments in a scientist’s career, advice from students interested in polar science, and more. We split the interviews into individual “Scientists in Focus” videos and short compilation videos covering topics we think are important (such as “What you can do to fight climate change” above).
A “Scientist in Focus” interview was Nicholas Younga scientist who also belongs to green diamond and GR rate project. Both focus on fieldwork and modeling to explore the history of the Greenland ice sheet, but on different timescales, he explained. We have learned in numerous interviews that polar scientists need adequate preparation and the ability to adapt to various environments in order to retrieve samples and conduct successful field trips. nicholas Point out that “when you work in the Arctic, nothing goes the way you think”! We are also interested in the day-to-day work of scientists while conducting research at the poles. Known for extreme temperatures and lack of precipitation, nicholas Points out “You will almost certainly lose weight because the body will burn a lot of calories just to keep warm!”
Our Scientists Compilation Video, “Advice for future scientists” (above) introduces the various career paths into polar science that we shared in our interviews. Your interest in a topic can stem from any experience you like: internships, high school courses, research, etc. It is important to choose your career with an open mind, and most importantly, “follow your heart”!
The time we spent with scientists helped shed light on questions about the poles. A common message among scientists is that the polar regions are changing at an unprecedented rate. Over the past 43 years, the Arctic has warmed almost four times faster than the rest of the world. Although we are not severely affected by these changes now, they will have an impact on our children and grandchildren for years to come. One of our goals this summer is to find ways to convey this message to the local community and education system. Scientist interview videos will be used as educational products to spread awareness of polar science topics and educate people on how they can help mitigate the effects of climate change. Whether through small personal changes like consuming less or creating more sustainable diets, or more impactful ways like voting, everyone can do their part to slow the rate of global warming and climate change. My participation in this project not only deepened my knowledge of polar science and met numerous scientists in the field, but it also raised awareness of climate change and got others involved!
“Polar climate ambassador” is a new youth-focused polar climate education initiative, developed by maggie terlingand by GR rate and green diamond scientific research project. If you are interested in learning more about this project, please contact Margie.
