By Zoe van Duivenbode

“If we take care of the most vulnerable, then we take care of everyone,” Dr Jalonne White-Newsome kicked off the 2018 Northwest Climate Conference with this powerful message, suggesting that climate change has transitioned from an environmental problem to a social justice and equity problem. Each year, the Northwest Climate Conference gathers people working on climate change from various fields to learn about the latest science, share information, exchange ideas and encourage collaboration across sectors and the region. Thanks to the Wendy Graham Endowed Travel Scholarship, I had the opportunity to attend the conference this year and also present on my capstone project with King County’s Climate Action Team which focuses on the co-creation of culturally relevant climate communication materials with immigrant and refugee communities in King County, Washington.

Having attended climate change conferences in the past, I’ve seen my fair share of science heavy and technical presentations, where the bulk of talks focus on climate models, ice core data, land and atmosphere interactions and other complex topics. Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome’s opening statement made a lot of sense to me because as a student in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs (SMEA) we are encouraged to view problems from all angles in effort to piece together a more holistic picture of the issue at hand. However, I was curious how the other 300 plus scientists, researchers, practitioners and professionals at the conference felt about the social dimensions around climate change. How does this audience feel about climate change as an equity and social justice issue rather than environmental one?

Unlike other climate conferences, I noticed how presenters touched on environmental impacts of climate change but really focused on the social implications of climate impacts such as health, culture, livelihoods and the economy. Oddly enough, I felt like I was sitting in a course at SMEA, discussing the human dimensions of environmental issues and how to tackle complicated problems with equitable outcomes.

From managing climate risk and identifying opportunities to communicating climate impacts to marginalised groups to incorporating local traditional knowledge in climate planning, the conference represented a diverse range of presentation topics. When zooming out and analyzing the conference at a macro level, the themes of partnership, collaboration across boundaries, and cultural and social resilience clearly stand out. For example, one session primarily focused on the dissemination of tools and resources which can be used to support tribal adaptation efforts. Session presenters shared climate impact mapping tools for tribal lands, provided tips on developing cultural vulnerability assessments, and identified funding pathways for tribal climate projects, all of which build and support the adaptive capacity of tribal communities.

While this conference challenged me professionally, as it was my first time presenting at a large conference, I was also confronted with the realization of just how much SMEA has influenced my way of thinking and approaching problems. The intersection between environmental change, policy and management, and social justice is one of the pillars of SMEA and throughout my experience, I’ve been challenged by professors to approach problems in ways that promote equity and avoid exacerbating existing issues or creating new barriers. And while this approach to problem solving sits at SMEA’s core, it is a skill that is not only transferable to climate change but necessary when crafting climate solutions.

After attending the conference and seeing how the conversation around climate change has started to expand beyond a linear environmental issue and transition towards something more intersectional, it seems like a tipping point has emerged among the climate change community. Rather than having a conference dominated by data, graphs, and models, it was refreshing to see an emphasis on climate action and how scientists, researchers, managers, and practitioners are making an effort to strengthen cross-collaboration and share resources to solve the climate crisis together.

Climate change touches all corners of life, and while the physical changes manifest within our oceans, along coastlines, in terrestrial environments, and the atmosphere, it boils down to how individuals and communities will be affected by these changes and how humans respond the their changing environment. By recognizing that people sit at the center of this problem, both by causing it and living with the consequences, the climate change community has an opportunity to create synergy between adaptation and mitigation and can develop strategies that both addresses the climate issue while also tackling existing environmental and social justice issues.