Meeting with Julie Souza from the inaugural class of Columbia Climate School
This fall, Columbia University will welcome the first batch of students graduating from the newly created university. Climate school. Utilize the expertise of the Earth Institute and its internals Many centers, Columbia Climate Institute will become the center of interdisciplinary climate research and education throughout the university, exploring and developing solutions to the most urgent and complex challenges of our time.
This Master’s Program in Climate and Society It is the first degree program offered by Columbia Climate Institute. This 12-month interdisciplinary program trains students to understand and solve the impact of climate change and climate variability on society and the environment. The 97 students enrolled in the program in the fall of 2021 will graduate from the Columbia Climate Institute in August 2022. Interview In the next few weeks, with a few of these extraordinary students.
Below, you can learn about Julie Souza, who sees climate through the lens of intersecting social and environmental issues.
Can you tell us something about your background and how you became interested in studying climate?
“Understanding the social and natural sciences of climate adaptation is crucial,” Souza said.
I grew up in the suburbs of Maryland, but at home I always feel like I am in Brazil. My mother made the delicacies she learned from my grandmother in Brazil, and one of my favorite ways to help is to peel potatoes with her. Seeing the piles of potato skins in the sink made me wonder where all our food scraps went. After learning that we were just throwing them in the trash can, I became very serious about proper waste disposal. In the end, I studied environmental studies at university and realized that an important aspect of my growth focused on how my personal behavior affected my community. Researching environmental issues made me realize that these issues have nothing to do with individual actions, but more with collective initiatives with multi-generational and global perspectives. This understanding allows me to study climate from an interdisciplinary perspective of intersecting social and environmental issues, and to understand how it affects all people around the world and the past, present, and future generations.
Which courses in the Climate and Society Program are you most interested in?
What I am most excited about is “management and adaptation to the climate” because it focuses on social sciences and natural sciences. As I mentioned, I value the interdisciplinary approach to climate research. I am interested in the solutions and risk analysis that will be discussed in this course. I am particularly happy to be able to talk about this course with applications in climate and society. Talking with current professionals in the field of climate management and adaptation is not only important for understanding the real-world applications we are studying, but also for establishing connections that may change the current field of issues.
How does the plan align with your career goals?
This program is in line with my career goal of integrating interdisciplinary understanding into alternative solutions to climate issues. Bringing the understanding of the social sciences and natural sciences to climate adaptation is essential. Whether I am working as an environmental consultant in the private sector or working in a non-governmental organization, I strive to adopt an interdisciplinary approach throughout my career, and establishing connections between the private and public sectors will be an integral part of this. Learning with the people who will eventually be my colleagues is crucial, ensuring that everyone has a say, especially where black and indigenous voices can be heard and valued, no matter what my career is, it’s a top priority Heavy.
You will be a member of the first graduating class of Columbia Climate School. Did the creation of the climate school affect your decision to apply for the C+S program?
The climate school represents an emerging reality that sustainable alternatives will change the way our society operates in every way. I am very happy and proud to be a part of this project and this school because of how it values the future of environmentalism. The Climate School is expected to inspire other institutions to prioritize sustainability.
When you look to the future of climate schools, what do you want to see?
The future of climate schools should include more black and indigenous educators, as well as organizations, community leaders, and policy makers that collaborate with school values. Not only should educators reflect on the progress of the environmental movement, but also the curriculum. I hope that the course will involve students and be open to change. This view is important not only for the future of climate schools, but also for the future of solving environmental problems.
