The Mountaineers
During Earth Month, the Mountaineers Carbon Footprint Reduction Committee hosted a Climate Change Speaker Series to help our community learn more about the climate crisis. Mountaineers members and a Mountaineers Books author shared insights about how climate change will affect our world, our wild places, and our lives. The events were well attended and participants asked great questions of the presenters.
If you weren’t able to attend and would like to view the recordings, you can check out the links to the presentations below. Interested in getting involved with our carbon footprint reduction work or climate advocacy, or have ideas on future climate presentations? Contact Betsy Robblee, Conservation and Advocacy Director.
CLIMATE REALITY 2021
We kicked off the series with a presentation by Mountaineers member Dr. Sunny Remington Doucette, an Environmental Chemistry instructor at Bellevue College. Sunny shared a rapid-fire overview of the global climate crisis, highlighting dozens of recent case studies of climate injustice happening around the world today. If you want to get more involved and give a similar educational presentation to your community, check out the Climate Reality Project.
THE BIG THAW: Ancient Carbon, Modern Science, and a Race to Save the World
Next, attendees heard from the award-winning author of The Big Thaw, Eric Scigliano. Eric took us on a journey to the Arctic, where thawing permafrost is affecting both local communities and Earth’s carbon balance. We learned about innovative scientists who are training the next generation of climate researchers, and we heard about Eric’s process of reporting this fascinating problem. The Big Thaw is an approachable introduction to CO2, methane, and environmental education, features photographs by Chris Linder, and is available from Mountaineers Books.
CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE PNW: WHAT'S HAPPENING, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
Our final speaker was Jason Vogel, Deputy Director of the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group. Jason brought our focus home to the Pacific Northwest, and discussed the current and future impacts of climate change on our local forests, snowpack, and sound. His presentation concluded with practical suggestions on how to make a difference: even just talking about climate change with your friends, family, and fellow Mountaineers can help normalize the conversation and cause a ripple effect of change. Other suggestions included offsetting the carbon footprint of your outdoor adventures and buying less gear (and choosing more sustainable choices when you do).
