Meet Evan Brooks, Class of 2024 on Climate and Society
Photo courtesy of Evan Brooks
Evan Brooks has always been interested in meteorology and atmospheric science. However, after a close family member was diagnosed with cancer—likely a result of growing up on a Superfund site—Brooks switched his undergraduate major to environmental science and policy. He wanted to better understand how environmental burdens like pollution disproportionately affect under-resourced and communities of color, and learn how to combat these injustices.
Now Brooks is a legislative aide to Florida Representative Kathy Castor, and this fall, he will begin Climate and Society Master’s Program in the Columbia Climate School. Ultimately, his goal is to develop policies that make life better for all.
Brooks is one of two scholarship recipients in the Class of 2024 Diamond Rock Toy Bird Sorority, which includes his full tuition for the program. Below, he tells us more about his background, what this fellowship means to him, and why he chose the Climate and Society Program.
Congratulations on getting Diamond Rock Toy Bird Sorority! What was your reaction when you got this news? What does this award mean to you?
I was really shocked and happy. I had to go out for a walk to get some fresh air because I couldn’t believe it. I am delighted to be a recipient of the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Scholarship. Receiving this award is a testament to Columbia Climate Institute’s commitment to ensuring that its students come from diverse backgrounds and are equipped with the necessary tools for a rapidly evolving 21st century world. To me, that means understanding that policy is not made in a vacuum, and that we can only solve the climate crisis with a diversity of opinions, backgrounds, and people.
Tell us about your background and how you got into the climate field.
My love for the environment began at a young age, a direct result of my parents pushing me to explore what and why I was interested in. As a child, I was fascinated by the weather. I vividly remember seeing my favorite meteorologist on the local news when Hurricane Isabel made landfall in 2003. My parents were terrific advocates for my intellectual curiosity, and they ignited my curiosity at a young age. I have been passionate about the weather for many years and have become a certified National Weather Service observer. My goal in college was to study atmospheric science with the goal of becoming a meteorologist. However, things changed during my senior year of high school. My dad was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma with a poor prognosis. After intensive chemotherapy, he went into remission. Unfortunately, during my first year of college, his cancer returned. He was diagnosed with advanced “double hit lymphoma,” an aggressive, rare form of lymphoma. As a result, he successfully underwent a complete stem cell transplant and is in remission. When this happened, I buried myself in research into the cause of my lymphoma as a coping mechanism to distract me from the situation. It was during this time that I learned that exposure to environmental toxins increases the risk of cancer.
Eventually, I learned that my dad grew up on a site that would later be designated a Superfund site, or one that required long-term remediation of hazardous chemical materials. That’s when everything clicks for me. I remember my father told me that since I was a child, there was no running water in their house and they had to drink well water. I can’t help but be shocked that this was allowed to happen. Discovering what my dad went through, which is not uncommon in underresourced and communities of color, prompted me to try to influence policy changes for everyone so these injustices don’t continue. Ultimately, this prompted me to change my major from atmospheric science to environmental science and policy so I could learn more about these injustices. Ultimately, this led me to pursue federal policy development opportunities on Capitol Hill, where I could participate in policy decisions.
Why did you decide to apply to the Climate and Society program and what do you hope to gain from the program?
Climate and Society’s focus on connecting, expanding and advancing new areas of climate investigation, research and impact, and strengthening both fundamental and applied disciplines appeals to me. Also, I was impressed by how Columbia University created the Climate School to improve the climate, the most pressing challenge in a generation. It really showed me how serious the university is about addressing the climate crisis, and that’s something I certainly hope to be a part of.
I hope to gain the expertise necessary to develop inclusive policies for all that truly address the climate crisis in an equitable way. The Climate and Society program allows me to delve into niche areas of climate science and how it can best be translated into policy.
Which courses are you most looking forward to and why?
The three courses I am most looking forward to: courses on climate change adaptation and mitigation, and quantitative methods for climate applications. All three were critical to expanding my knowledge base on how to tackle the climate crisis. In addition to these three, I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge of electrical systems as well as taking additional chemistry courses to gain a better understanding of hazardous materials.
What do you see as your future role in solving the climate crisis?
I hope to continue my public service as a policymaker. But I don’t want to be a policymaker sitting in an ivory tower, cut off from the real-world experiences people face as a result of the climate crisis. Whether it’s making flood insurance easier to understand, which tax credits and subsidies are available to electrify or weatherproof their home, I hope to make a difference that people can feel.
what are you doing this summer
This summer, I will continue serving the people of Florida’s 14th Congressional District as a Legislative Assistant in Representative Kathy Castor’s District of Columbia office.
Do you have anything to add?
I am truly grateful for this opportunity and look forward to joining my wonderful fellow students!
