Aaron Stocker: From Byzantine History to Modern Politics
Aaron Stockel is graduating with an MA in the Climate and Society Program.
Although Aaron Stockel describes his path to climate science and political advocacy as a circuitous one, he has always been guided by a single question: “How and where can I do the best thing?”
Stocker grew up in Los Angeles, where many of his friends and neighbors were interested in the outdoors and concerned about climate change. “My parents took me to see an inconvenient truth When it came out because they thought it was important — I was nine years old. So I think it’s very formative,” he said.
During high school and college at the University of Chicago, Stockel followed in his father’s footsteps and focused on history—specifically, he majored in Byzantine history and minored in astrophysics “for fun.”
“I chose astrophysics because I love space, but it’s actually very climate-focused. It turns out the best way to study other solar system planets is to study our own. We learned a lot about atmospheric science and talked a lot on the topic of climate change,” Stocker recalls.
In the interview below, Stocker describes how he translated this newfound knowledge into a graduate degree Columbia Climate Schoolof climate and society Programs and Upcoming Internships White House Council on Environmental Quality.
While climate and society students like Stocker are celebrating graduation and school day This May, they will take part in a variety of exciting summer placements before formally completing their course in August.
Why did you decide to pursue a career in climate science and advocacy at a professional level?
The 2016 election happened when I was in college, and it was a scary time for the climate.In the 2018 midterms, I ran a congressional campaign because it felt like we had to something. I want to figure out, how can I make the biggest impact? It all came together when I graduated from college and realized that climate might be the big issue our generation is going to have to deal with because the previous generation didn’t. We have to actually do something by 2030 before we get into big trouble.
After graduating from college, I continued to work in a company called Grand Canyon Trust in their energy plans.i read Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report to this end, along with Federal Acts and Agency Rules. Additionally, I was exposed to a lot of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and climate justice principles. It was definitely an eye opener.
The Grand Canyon Trust has done a great job, and for their size, they’ve had a really big impact. But I know nonprofits in Arizona can’t solve the climate crisis—they’re a small part.
As the 2020 election looms, I’m determined to get involved in whatever way I can, even if it’s just calling people or knocking on their doors as a live organizer. It feels like the best thing I can do is put a Democrat in the White House because at least that party believes climate change is real. So I campaigned for Warren in four states, and we lost. COVID-19 has begun. Then I joined the Biden campaign and we won.
After that, I went to Georgia to help with the Senate runoff, and we won that election against the odds. Then I wondered, what now?
What brought you back to school, especially the climate and society project?
I knew then that I wanted to work in Washington, but I couldn’t get my foot in the door. So I hung around for a while. I learned to surf.
I thought, because I only have a bachelor’s degree, maybe that’s keeping me from working at Hill, where I feel like there’s a huge change going on.
For my undergraduate thesis, I wrote about the Plague of Justinian in 542, which suddenly became a hot topic due to COVID-19, and the impact that climate change and other events might have had on society at the time – just as the cooling period dwindled agricultural output. It turns out that human societies have always been very dependent on climate—and still do today. It was a very interdisciplinary dissertation, and it attracted me to the Columbia Climate and Society program because it wasn’t a climate science degree, a policy degree, or a climate advocacy degree—all of which were. It tries to develop well-rounded climate leaders who can understand what everyone at the dinner table is talking about and bring them together.
It was really attractive to me because the longer I was involved, the less I knew where I fit in and what I could do, but I yes Of course I want to do my best. I’ve always really enjoyed working with people from different backgrounds and getting results. I think that’s the point of this program. There are a few more like this in the world, but not many.
The climate crisis is so big that no single sector or field can solve it. This is a problem when you isolate yourself as only engineers or only advocates or scientists. It won’t work unless there is whole-of-society cooperation, which will lead to the transformation of the system we want.
What made you want to work at the White House?
well first of all i love west wing. Looking back now, 20 years later, I always had it, even though it had some issues.
But mostly, it feels like the Biden administration has made so much progress on climate work. They have done more than most previous governments combined. To me, the White House represents the idea that everything comes together, in terms of overall strategy, and where cooperation in decision-making can happen on a larger scale. It seems like a very exciting place to be. So I applied for an internship and am glad I got it.
What do you hope to learn from your internship experience?
Obviously, I’m very excited about this and I’m very grateful for the opportunity. I will serve on the White House Council on Environmental Quality, which was established in 1969 under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). They do important work, including developing procedures for federal agencies to implement NEPA and coordinating federal efforts to improve, maintain, and protect America’s public health and environment.
I’ll be joining the clean energy, infrastructure, and NEPA teams—I don’t know yet what the specific day-to-day work will look like, but I’m looking forward to being there, to a place where something really important is happening.
How does this opportunity align with your future goals?
Brenda Mallory, chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, is one of President Biden’s key climate advisors, which is great because it means they have the power to actually make a difference. I’m interested in being close to decision makers, where real change can happen. I think it’s important to bring the interdisciplinary perspective of the Columbia Climate Institute into a space like this. They are already doing this, but I hope adding my voice, work ethic and experience will help move this forward.
As for future career goals, I’m not sure, but I’ve never worked in government before. I will definitely give my all and work really hard. As of right now, I can definitely see myself in a government agency working at the intersection of climate, justice, engineering, science, and policy.
you Have you received any advice on your educational journey that stood out to you?
I’ve talked to a lot of really kind and motivated people who are doing a lot of things their way to make the world a better place. They told me it’s okay if you don’t figure it out; it’s okay to do the next thing that feels right, as long as it feels right to you and you feel like you’re doing something worthwhile and good. Do your best for the world, because that’s all we can really do. We only have one chance.
There is no single way to work in government. Apparently they weren’t looking for a specific candidate because I was thinking, I’m never going to get a White House internship…and I got it. It’s a cliché, but I think that’s basically what any organization is looking for if you’re pursuing your passion and showing that you care, that you’re smart, that you’re articulate and that you’re doing your best. This has been a very circuitous path for me.
I had a speaker in my class recently who said some really powerful things. She told us her dad always said the two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you figure out why. I don’t think I’ve fully figured out why, but I think I’m on my way there.
