What was your “wake-up moment” when climate issues started to feel real for you?
I live in New Jersey and last year we experienced the aftermath and effects of the Canadian Wildfires. There were weeks where it wasn’t safe to go outside for prolonged periods due to poor air quality and smoke inhalation. I didn’t even want to take my dog outside to go the bathroom as I worried about what being outdoors could do to his health. It truly felt like doomsday had come as deep fog and red smoke filled the air. I felt like it was comparable to COVID with being stuck inside, except the “illness” had shown itself in physical form as a reminder of how easily things can change. Although the fires themselves felt like lightyears away in terms of actual distance, it was amazing to see how far-reaching their effects could be. There have been wildfires for years happening in places like California, but the typical climate in these areas explained why they were so prominent. Now, it seems it doesn’t matter where you live and that anything is possible. Similarly, I grew up with the notion that, “Tornadoes don’t happen in New Jersey”. This sentiment greatly eased my childhood mind, but now this phrase holds no water. Whenever a bad thunderstorm rolls through, I am glued to the TV watching the weather service alert us of multiple tornadoes forming in every county statewide. The mentality of “these things don’t happen here” has flown out the window and having firsthand experience with these events has woken me up tremendously to the reality of climate change.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed, sad, or anxious about climate change? What brought on those feelings?
As a kid learning about climate change in school, it was apparent that the issue was vastly important and time-sensitive. However, where I lived, there weren’t any immediate effects that impacted my way of life. Now, as an adult, I not only understand the issues surrounding climate change on a deeper level, but as time has passed, I also feel its effects on a daily basis. The rapid array of temperatures I experience in any given season is unprecedented. I don’t know when I wake up in the summer if I will have 50 degree F weather or 90 degree F weather. And, this is coming from someone who lives in an area of the world that typically experiences all four seasons. Nothing is “typical” anymore and everything surrounding how an upcoming season will fare is unprecedented. Due to this more recent first-hand experience, I often have deep anxiety about our world’s ability to stop what we’ve set in motion. If I think too much about it, I feel depressed about the level of impact I can ultimately have to help save our planet and anger surrounding those in power’s dismissal over its existence.
Is there a place (a park, neighborhood, coastline) that makes you feel connected to the Earth?
My favorite place on Earth is the Jersey Shore. Not because of the television show but because it is where I spent every summer growing up. It holds a strong level of nostalgia and is truly my happy place. I like to joke that all my problems and mental struggles would go away if I lived at the beach. Aside from fond memories, the beach is somewhere that calms my soul. The sound of the waves and feeling of sand beneath my toes grounds me and brings me back to reality. I honestly prefer the beach when it isn’t hot, as there is something about ordinary weather in this environment that takes me out of the summer mindset. It acts as a reminder that the beach exists all year round; the waves never stop coming in and life goes on. The ocean is so big and so vast that I both greatly fear and admire it. It is strong and commanding in a way that could easily overpower me. But, it can also be calm and provides so much life. Being at the beach puts into perspective how small we truly are in the world and makes my own problems seem silly.
