Two ASSIST Scholars Take Action Against the Global Climate Crisis.

July 22, 2022

By Camille Wilson

Earth’s rapidly changing climate and weather patterns remain at the center of a long list of concerning global affairs. As the world’s leaders scramble to find solutions amid intense heat waves, droughts, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels, the youngest generations are taking on much of the action that will be required to ensure a more stable and secure future for themselves and others. Per the United Nations, the world’s 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 to 24 are the largest generation of youth in history, and according to Pew Research Center, Gen Z and Millenials are more likely to have an interest in addressing climate change and taking action than previous generations. Many young leaders in this age group are already phenomenal storytellers, and often share their experiences and stories regarding climate issues as a catalyst for social change and awareness. 

Through the ASSIST program, bright and deserving students from around the world are able to receive a cross-cultural experience that will equip them with the skills to create change in their home communities and around the world. Many ASSIST Scholars have arrived at their American schools prepared to continue their involvement with climate activism, to share their ideas and learn from their American peers and teachers, while others have been inspired to become involved through their exposure to climate activist groups on campus.

Read on to hear the stories of how these ASSIST alumni became involved in activities to combat climate change, their personal feelings and experiences concerning the issue, and their continuing role in climate activism.

Anna Madlener, Ocean Roboticist, Host of “The Ocean Embassy” Podcast

Anna, a Berlin-based freelance marine robotics engineer and consultant, and self-proclaimed ocean enthusiast, has dedicated much of her life’s work to a more sustainable technological future and a healthier planet. Keep up with her conversations on how our oceans affect our everyday lives on “The Ocean Embassy” podcast.

“My personal experiences are very small and insignificant compared to others who experienced loss, tragedy, economic struggles etc. as a result from the climate crisis. Nonetheless, I am painfully aware of that reality for many friends across the world. Seeing the news, living a pandemic, reading the science and IPCC reports telling us emissions need to peak by 2025 to have a chance at 1.5 degree warming is enough motivation for me—if we don’t get it done, we are facing a life that is really not what anyone is hoping for.

I feel like I never take enough action, and I certainly don’t do as much as all the activists on the street. What I have done is fully or partially change every aspect of my life that can be rendered more sustainable—from transportation and food choices, consumer products such as clothing or household utensils, to banking and the energy supplier of my apartment. 

However, most of those things are still a luxury to many people and it is a privileged situation to be able to implement them all. I try to advocate for this and the climate crisis especially when talking to family, friends and colleagues. 

 

My most recent “action” was definitely to quit my secure engineering job in a company that is not aiming at solving climate problems at all. Despite working in an industry that can do so much about the climate crisis, I have rarely been surrounded by truly inspirational and radical new ideas. I think if many more young people entering the workforce are setting clear boundaries regarding such values, companies will ultimately be forced to reevaluate some of their business models. 

 

One of the very personal ways I have started to advocate, is by starting a podcast recently on ocean science, exploration and diplomacy, aiming at sharing more broadly in how manifold ways the ocean affects our daily lives, climate and in how manifold ways we can or shouldn’t influence it. 

 

First and foremost, the large industrial companies need to stop receiving governmental subsidies for their emissions heavy industries, and be rigorously charged and paying for their emissions. Secondly, unsustainable lifestyles and industries need to simply be more expensive so that consumer habits change. 

 

For example, there are some ridiculous laws still in place for Germany: companies pay close to no money for using new plastic, but face huge prices for buying recycled packaging material, a piece of leftover legislation from the 70s. Sales tax on nutrition is equally ridiculous: it favors emissions-heavy and non-regional foods such as meat and other processed foods, while some vegetables or plant-based foods are taxed as luxury goods. Because of the way our tax returns work in Germany, employees are still incentivized to take cars instead of bikes. All of these are small things that could be changed instantly and easily.

 

I suppose ASSIST has prepared me for this on several levels. These include learning a language that is essential for international science and politics, appreciating the impact on personal lives and development a year abroad can have on you, immersing yourself in another culture and political landscape that in turn allows better reflection on global scales. But by now, I think the greatest and most important learning is the understanding of inequality and inequity and how that in turn fuels so many global issues, not just the climate crisis. This inequality is hard to grasp as a 15 year old, but it became more apparent to me during the many years I still volunteered for the ASSIST alumni. 

 

Receiving the opportunity to study abroad with ASSIST was such a privilege I had little understanding for back then. Profiting from the ASSIST community over time, however, has widened my eyes a lot more to this issue and always remains an opportunity to discuss with alumni worldwide, to be reminded of this privilege and to accelerate change where we have influence.”

 

Andrea Manrique Yus, Climate Advocate, Data Science Researcher

As a lover of problem-solving and data, Andrea is currently using her affinity for facts and statistics to advocate for policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while working for The Foundation for Planetary Intelligence. 

“I started my climate journey in the sustainability committee of my previous institution, Leiden Observatory (Netherlands). There I helped raise climate change awareness and estimate the carbon footprint of the institute. After that I joined Terra.do’s fellowship program on climate action and started sharing some of the things I learned with my LinkedIn network.

 

I remember being particularly shocked about how governments and fossil fuel companies had known about climate change for decades and decided not only to hide the facts, but also lobby to deny it. I thought it was crazy that this wasn’t common knowledge, so I wanted to share it with my friends and colleagues.

 

However what surprised me even more was how little the media talked about all the amazing people and companies taking climate action, all the “climate wins”. I believe that we all need some positive news in our lives, especially nowadays with the constant overload of news, so I started talking about climate wins, letting people know about every great initiative being taken to restore the environment. 

 

My hope is that this gives someone the motivation they need to start their own climate journey, and help them see that there are thousands of ways in which they can contribute. There’s a lot of people already working on this, and we just need to turn the ‘there’s nothing to be done anymore’ into ‘there are so many ways to help!’

 

Personally, I’ve joined Citizen’s Climate Lobby (CCL) in the Europe chapter and Climate Changemakers. Thanks to these organisations I’ve been able to meet European policymakers and MEPs and start a conversation with them, which is very rewarding and goes a long way from the usual interaction every 4 years when we vote for them.

 

Career-wise, for two months now I’ve had the great opportunity to work in the Foundation for Planetary Intelligence as a data scientist, where we help cities transition to net zero and scale climate change solutions worldwide.

 

[If I had the ability to change laws and regulations]…I would halt all new fossil fuel projects, speed up the transition to renewables and scale nature-based solutions like soil and biodiversity restoration. I’d also reduce the production of single-use plastic and offer subsidies to install heat pumps on buildings and electric vehicles, so that anyone can feel like they are part of the solution and make these practices more widespread.

[ASSIST has prepared me]…in being open-minded, embracing different cultures and having a sense of a global community. Given that the climate crisis affects every single place, bridging the gap between different countries is essential to establish a global collaboration and tackle climate change in the most efficient possible way. Meeting people from different countries at such a young age helped me realise that we are much more similar than we think, and in the end we all strive for having a liveable future.”

By creating an environment where students can develop a keen sense of global, social, and political awareness, ASSIST continues to prepare its students to be leaders in the realm of climate consciousness and innovation. And, whether or not climate activism is directly relevant to their chosen career paths, the program encourages its Scholars to be the kind of global citizens that will take part in the solution however they can. 

If you’re an ASSIST alum with a story or experience related to climate activism, let us know! ASSIST would love to share your story.