Author: Dominique Agnew

This is my final blog as an intern for Climate Justice Now. For this last blog, I wanted to do a wrap up of what we have talked about over these last 14 blogs, and discuss my next steps as an activist.

When I look back on my blogs, one overarching theme I see is relevance and visibility. My first blog series was composed of a handful of posts about how race fits into environmentalism. I wanted this connection to become visible to environmentalists on this platform, especially considering the current social movements. One thing I think modern environmentalism prides itself on is its inclusion and progressive ideologies, but when you break it down how are these ideals actually being acted upon within the actual movement itself? Most climate activists are aware of environmental racism and the impact that climate change has had on a lot of poorer communities and countries, but how has the recognition been transformed into action? Personally, I don’t see much of it. I don’t think it is lacking because the people don’t care. On the contrary, I believe that they care a lot, and they want to contribute to that positive change, but don’t know what to focus on first. Do you focus on trying to transform the energy industry into a renewable and sustainable industry or do you focus on making sure that our current industry isn’t taking advantage of people in the poorer and less advantaged communities? I think this one of the questions that some environmentalists think about often. I am not gonna lie

and say that I have the answer to these questions, because I don’t think I do. But one thing I do know that would aid the cause in working for a solution is by diversifying the movement itself. Different ways of doing this can be by doing effective diversity events at national parks or by pushing for natural resource education in public school systems. I highlighted effective, because there are some programs that don’t connect these students with their environment correctly. One of my blog series was about the social media movements that aren’t getting as much attention as they did during their prime and one lesson I wanted to share during that entire series was that not only are different things important to different people but also, there are problems out there that even the wisest of the wise have forgotten about. When you diversify a certain movement each of those things that were previously forgotten come to light yet again because someone in that diverse crowd remembers and was impacted, either physically or emotionally, by one of those forgotten problems. The environmental movement has a history of exclusivity, but today I want that to change. I want us to put action behind our beliefs of inclusivity and look deep into where this movement can make improvements.

Currently I am in the process of applying for law schools and doing my next step as an activist. There are a lot of different ways of facilitating change.

You can start a social media movement, you can write a blog and spread awareness, or you can do what I do and prepare to spend over $150,000 on another degree. But in all seriousness, I am so excited to take my next steps and see what change will come in the future.

Throughout my time as a Climate Justice Now Blogging Intern, I have learned a lot about how I see the world and my place in it. My first blog post on this site was about recognizing the importance of race in environmental history (you can access that blog here), and the theme of that first blog continued in a lot of my other ones. One of the reasons I wanted to become an intern for Climate Justice Now, is because I knew that this would be a great platform where I could share my stories and my perspectives on climate change and race relations. I knew that Climate Justice Now was a inter-sectional platform that understands the importance of looking at things from all angles and hearing from people that are not traditionally listened to. I am so grateful to have had this platform, and I thank all of you for reading my words.

Written by Dominique Agnew, Senior at Cornell University and Climate Justice Now Intern

Nature has always been a big part of who I am. With the Trinity Mountains spilling in from the West, the Cascade range sliding down from the North, and Lassen Volcanic National Park sprawled to the East, nature has always been incredibly accessible. As a kid, my most cherished memories — camping with my family, hiking in the mountains, building tree forts — center around nature. 

What I never seemed to notice, though, was that I was usually the only Asian-American kid playing outside. When I did notice, it didn’t really bother me. Growing up in a predominantly White town meant that being the only Asian-American kid around was a given; it was the only thing I had ever known. But as I’ve gotten older, and especially throughout these past months, the whiteness of the outdoor community has really been on my mind a lot. Why? Why is the outdoor community so White? Where are the people of color? Where are the Asian hikers? The Black rock climbers? The Native American bikers? The Latinx rafters? The Middle Eastern skiers? 

Much of the answer lies in the racist histories of the global North. Being from the United States, I am going to focus on the United States; this is not to say, however, that the United States is the sole contributor to the racism and exclusivity in the outdoor community. Founded upon slave labor and the forced removal of Indigenous communities, the United States has had a long history of discriminating against racial minorities, and it is this discrimination that has allowed Whites to dominate the outdoor scene. 

So, some history. In the nineteenth century, White upper class elites like John Muir and George Catlin began to explore the outdoors. Hunting and hiking, these early White explorers marveled at the pristine, “untouched” beauty of nature. In doing so, they fed the idea that nature should be preserved in its pure glory and sheltered from the human presence. They established the narrative of environmentalism. Where were people of color during these times? They were battling systemic, intense racism. Facing “extreme forms of oppression such as enslavement, internment, deportation, and dispossession and denial of land”, people of color did not take to exploring the outdoors or engaging in “the environmental” movement. Instead, they engaged in civil rights movements that aimed to dismantle racism in their workplaces and communities. But aren’t our workplaces and cities and

neighborhoods and homes also our environments? Seen this way, people of color did engage in environmental movements, just not the environmental movement we traditionally think of. Nonetheless, the mainstream environmental movement — the one we picture when someone says “I’m an environmentalist” — was, and continues to be, a predominately White space. 

How, you ask? In short, the ways with which the White upper class interacts with nature and “the environment” affect the goals of environmentalism. Because Whites tend to interact with nature in a recreational way — through fishing, hiking, hunting, climbing, and other recreational activities — a big portion of environmentalism is centered around preserving these interactions. Thus, we see that the main goals of mainstream environmentalism — wilderness preservation, wildlife protection, and pollution control — reflect the desires of the White upper class to use nature as a leisure space. While these ideals are not inherently harmful, they do limit the effectiveness of the environmental movement because they exclude people of color. 

Environmental hazards disproportionately affect communities of color, but it is often these same communities that are excluded from discussions about environmental policies and climate change. In a study conducted by the National Center for Environmental Assessment, it was found that Black people are exposed to about 1.5 times more particulate matter than White people. The study also found that both pollution and polluters are disproportionately located in communities of color. Doesn’t it seem paradoxical that the very people environmental hazards and the climate crisis are affecting the most are not being included in the conversations about these issues? Until environmentalism includes these voices and works towards protecting ALL from environmental dangers, it will continue to fall short in serving every community. 

Written by Eila Chin, Climate Justice Now Social Media Intern

One thing I love about the environment is that it is connected to so many things besides the obvious things like the trees and the animals. It is connected to the way our houses are built. It is connected to what we do for leisure whether that is sun tanning or doing snow angels in your front yard. This interconnection of many different actions and concepts, is similar to what is happening currently in the midst of many global crises. Currently the people of Earth are dealing with a pandemic, climate change, an economic meltdown, and intense race relations and political relations… just to name a few. When you think about these crises one by one, they can easily seem like separate problems. Problems that need separate solutions. But, look closer. These problems that we are dealing with today are all interconnected.

When I look at those 5 interconnected crises, I see a few commonalities. One being the abuse of power and the perception of people in power. For the two “scientific” crises, Coronavirus and climate change, I see people believing the wrong people in power. For COVID-19 we have a lot of non-scientists thinking that they know best about an ever changing viral infection compared to a PhD educated virus expert. For climate change, we have people believing someone saying that it is a giant hoax compared to the climate scientists that have dedicated their lives to effectively prove otherwise. For the current economic meltdown, racial injustices and intense political relations I see the abuse of power and the impact of those that do not have traditional power. According to an ABC News article, since the pandemic began over 45 million people have filed for unemployment. With a stat like that, one would think that nearly all Americans are struggling economically during this hard time, but it seems like this is not the case. That same article says that “the combined wealth of the 614 U.S. billionaires increased by $584 billion.” Let me repeat that…$584 billion. I do not know why this is the case. They could have taken advantage of the demand for employment by doing lower than normal hourly rates. They could have been given a large sum of money from the relief funds from the federal government. But one thing I do know, is that the fact that the powerful are getting more powerful is not okay. The people that have filed for unemployment are what make the country run. They are the ones that work to make the products you buy and work so that your grocery stores and “Mom and Pa” shops can be open. Without them we wouldn’t have anything, and these billionaires wouldn’t have a society to lean on for making their money. Coronavirus has caused a deeper inequality gap in the United States, and I think many people have become aware of this.

Coronavirus and climate change have a lot of things in common. They both impact people of color and people in the lower income strata more often. They also have a lot of scientific knowledge and experts that are being ignored every day, causing lives to be lost and greatly impacted daily. I remember in the beginning of the pandemic there was an intense drop in gas prices, which made me happy considering that this probably meant that the fossil fuel industry was struggling and could be pushed to transition to more environmentally friendly sources of energy such as wind and solar. Then everything else started to be greatly affected and the economy plummeted. When events like this happen, everyone starts to freak out and push for the growth in our global economy by any means possible. This is not a new phenomena. I think that one of the main reasons the climate crisis is so important today is because of this push for economic growth. But what many need to understand is this push for economic growth is what has set up this depression in the first place. It is the reason that those 614 billionaires have profited during this scary time. When we push for economic growth we are not looking at the other quality of life factors that can lead to a great economy. When we support people of color and give them the resources to get an education and comfortably live, the economy benefits. When we recognize that an industry is failing, ie. the fossil fuel industry, and we switch toward a more sustainable alternative, the

economy benefits. When we invest in communities, the economy benefits. One of the main reasons we have so many problems today is because we focus too much on benefiting the money makers and the big businesses compared to the people and the societies making those businesses and people so profitable.

A very broad solution I see when I look at those interconnected crises is investing in people and caring for people. Wearing a mask, not because you are in fear, but because you know that it could save someone’s life is how we care for people. Investing in communities instead of pushing for economic growth that only benefits the top 15% is how we loosen the system of systemic racism and classism that exist in this country. I am not saying that these are the only solutions to these problems, or that they are the easiest, but I do think that if we want a long lasting, sustainable economy and society we have to start investing in our people. We have to start caring about each other and the people around us.

Featured Image: Art by Fei Fei. Retrieved from Zora Medium

Written by Dominique Agnew, Senior at Cornell University and Climate Justice Now Intern

Currently we are in a very contentious time. I see debates happening on Facebook every single day or an intense conversation in the comments either about politics, racial issues or Covid-19. I am a big advocate for having effective and challenging conversations, but are these social media debates the most effective? My answer would probably be no.

In this blog, I wanted to talk about how to engage in those difficult conversations either online with strangers or in person with friends and family. There are many things going on right now, and we need to listen and effectively talk to one another about those difficult topics. These are some tips that I have learned throughout my conversations with people and also have researched on my own.

The first tip I have is listen to the person. Fully. And try to refrain from casting judgement. One thing I have learned from the difficult conversations I have engaged in is that people cast assumptions about what you are going to say far before you even utter words. Doing this, makes the conversation more hostile than it needs to be. Learning about why someone believes something is really valuable. Ask questions about where they got that information or why they believe a certain thing. It allows you to further understand different viewpoints and it can also make you think more about why you believe a certain thing. Go into the conversation with a goal. Don’t just talk to someone with an opposing opinion just to make them feel stupid or degrade their position.

Second tip refers to talking to family and friends. Now, this is something that a lot of people struggle with, and there are good reasons on why it is so difficult to do. For example, you don’t want to ruin the relationship you have and you don’t want to start something that may end in a bad way. Having these difficult conversations take a lot of bravery and what I like to call “training.” Talking to someone you care a lot about about a topic that affects you can be draining. So, listen to your body and mind and take care of it but also be brave and don’t be scared to ruffle a few feathers. According to Ijeoma Oluo, the author of So You Want To Talk About Race, gives some great tips in a NPR interview about how to engage in conversations with families and elders about a contentious topic. One great thing Ijeoma mentions is that it is a great idea to say upfront why you want to have this conversation, is it because you want your family to start using their privilege for good? Is it because your Aunt or Uncle or whoever seems to say racist remarks often and it makes you uncomfortable? Being upfront about it makes the purpose of the conversation out in the open. Those assumptions I mentioned earlier die down a bit. Another great tip she says is to talk about your own former ignorance and how you came to educate yourself and the adjustment it took. Even though we hate to admit it, something we are super passionate about now is something we probably did not care much about prior. Mentioning that transition is super valuable.

The final and most important tip I want to give is to recognize your limits and take care of yourself. There are going to be a lot of people out there that you want to talk with on Instagram or Facebook, but if you do not have the mental space for it, it is more than okay to just let their comment go unchecked. I also want to emphasize that it is not your responsibility to educate people. You are not their mother nor their teacher. They are (most likely) grown individuals that can look up important things on Google just like the rest of us, so do not think it is on your shoulders to go out of your way to talk to and educate this person. But on that same note, I want to repeat that these conversations require bravery and if you think that you can get passed the short-term discomfort to maybe achieve long-term change you should engage in that conversation!

I am one of the only people I know that actually enjoys engaging in conversations where I know the person on the other end thinks the exact opposite of me. I think I enjoy these conversations because they challenge me and they challenge the person I am talking with. I believe that some people think a certain way because they have never been confronted by someone with an opposing view. People hang around others with similar point of views. We live in regions that have similar political opinions as us. We are raised in families that instill certain ideals and values. So when I engage in these conversations I love to ask people questions on why they believe something and see if they are more than just a product of their area or upbringing. I like to see if they think for themselves. I also like testing my faith and my beliefs. If I am not challenged on what I believe in then how do I become confident in my passions and my opinions. These difficult conversations are not easy, however, there are personal and external benefits that can come out of them. Try to challenge yourself!

Written by Dominique Agnew, Senior at Cornell University and Climate Justice Now Intern

A couple weeks ago, me and my family were watching Queer Eye (definitely would recommend if you have Netflix), and in one of the episodes the Fab 5 were helping out a young anxiety-filled environmentalist interning for the Sunrise Movement. Throughout the entire episode, you can see that this young girl is really feeling the pressure of the world, and I could totally relate to that.

Being an environmentalist is a lot. It takes a lot of energy. It takes a lot of knowledge. I mentioned in one of my first blogs that environmental issues and social issues cross paths in many different scenarios so juggling all that is a lot of work. Anxiety is most likely something that we have all experienced at lease once and there is a specific type of anxiety that many environmentalists deal with. Thinking about the effects that climate change currently has and will have can lead to a lot of worry and anxiety. Eco-anxiety became the official word to describe this phenomena and according to the American Psychological Association this can really affect one’s mental and physical states. In a 2017 article from the APA, they discuss the individual affects that it can have as well as the communal affects. Some of the effects listed in the article were “loss of personal and professional identity, loss of social support structures, and a loss of a sense of control.”

I am a big advocate for taking care of one’s mental health. And this is no different. Here are some tips that I personally have and also learned from some research:

Try to adopt practical and safe environmentally friendly lifestyle choices. According to that same 2017 APA article, walking/biking to work or using public transportation is associated with “an increase in community cohesion and a reduction in symptoms of depression and stress.” There is a possibility that many of you are already doing the most environmentally friendly actions that are physically possible, so this may not apply to you. But to those that are so anxious about the state of the environment that they do not do these actions, this may help your state of mind!

One thing that I noticed about my state of mind while I was in Australia was that I was at peace. I was super happy. And I think that was because of my extreme exposure to the outdoors. We went on hikes at least once a week, saw different environments and looked for different species. Taking advantage of the outdoors and breathing in the air near a beautiful green space is a great way of decreasing anxiety levels. To me, it made me feel more human walking through the forest and touching the dirt covered trees and grass. This connection with your surroundings can put your mind at ease.

The last tip I have, is remembering that there are people fighting with you and for you. One thing I wanted that girl to know on the Queer Eye episode is that she wasn’t the only person to feel that stress and pressure. There are active environmentalists across all four corners of the earth that are trying to do the best they can to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The weight of the world is not on your shoulders. Even though the environment is important, what is even more important is your life. Enjoy it.

Written by Dominique Agnew, Senior at Cornell University and Climate Justice Now Intern

Do you guys remember what you were doing in December 2015? I think I was stressing out about doing the best I could in my junior year of high school and thankful that I just got my braces off. In other parts of the country, the Dakota Access Pipeline was starting its journey. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers drafted and approved the 1,172-mile pipeline route in less than 7 months. Mind you, I will probably be prepping for law school applications for almost that long, so that seems like an extremely short amount of time for such a big project. Even after being advised to consult with the tribal leaders whose land would be affected by the pipeline, the Corps decided to avoid the advice and approve the plans on their own.

After the initial approval by the Corps in July of 2016, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe soon sued the Corps for failing to consult with the tribe and violating the National Historic Preservation Act. A week later the company that was building the pipeline countersues the Standing Rock Sioux because the protests apparently have delayed construction. To me, this is pretty funny because it shows that the people are mad about the situation and are willing to be out there protesting against it. Mid-late 2016 was the time of increased media exposure of what was going on in North Dakota and there was an increase in protestors. This is when the violence started to ensue due to the private security guards. If you read through the events that happened in late 2016, the events seem super confusing and extremely oxymoronic. For example, in early September 2016, Judge James Boasberg temporarily halted construction on a portion of DAPL and two days later the governor of North Dakota put the North Dakota National Guard on the protestors (are we seeing some parallels between what’s going on now and what happened in North Dakota? Most definitely). Throughout 2016 and 2017, you can see that the justice system was siding with the money aka the corporations that wanted to build the pipeline.

After the inauguration of Trump,

the DAPL process was expedited and authorities were pushing out protesters at the Standing Rock camp in February 2017. In mid-2019, Energy Transfer Partners tried to double the pipeline capacity from the previous 500,000 barrels/day to 1.1 million barrels. After three years of the original start of the DAPL usage, a federal judge finally orders a complete and expansive environmental review, and there was the final shut down and removal of oil from the DAPL on July 6. This was a huge win for the tribes that were impacted.

This took almost 5 years for a win by these Native tribes in North Dakota and surrounding areas. I remember in 2017 when there seemed to be no hope for Standing Rock. I was prepared for the worst, but here we are. Although this might not be the end, it seems like this is one giant step in the right direction. Native Americans are the original caretakers of this beautiful land we all appreciate and love, and recognizing their efforts and our contribution to their oppression is important. Even though we cannot go back in time and change the mind of the people in power that pushed out Natives from their homeland, we can try to make them feel seen and heard now.

Sources:

https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/dakota-access-pipeline-timeline-FW2gTraDsE2Jn3tCXYjIyg

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/22/514988040/key-moments-in-the-dakota-access-pipeline-fight

Written By Dominique Agnew, Senior at Cornell University and Climate Justice Now Intern

The third installment of the media series. In 2017 Puerto Rico was hit hard by Hurricane Maria, and there are a lot of things to be learned by our response.

In late 2017 Hurricane Maria hit the Southeast hard. I remember it clear as day. I just started college the month earlier, my parents were taking a trip to Toronto, and my brother and dog were still back home in Florida preparing for the storm. Luckily Northern Florida was not hit as hard as suspected. But, Puerto Rico wasn’t so lucky.

In late 2017, I remember President Trump praising himself on how successful his response was to Hurricane Maria. However, the Federal Emergency Management Agency struggled to keep up with all of the disasters of the season. In late August, Texas was hit with Hurricane Harvey, a category 4 storm, and according to the FEMA Report, 80% of the houses hit by the hurricane did not have flood insurance. In early September, Hurricane Irma made its way through the Atlantic becoming the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic to date. Hurricane Maria was a category 5 hurricane as it passed by the U.S Virgin Islands and landed in Puerto Rico as a category 4. Soon after these hurricanes, there were intense wildfires in California. These three hurricanes combined with the wildfires affected 57 million people and caused over $265 billion in damages. According to the same FEMA Report, there were 4.8 million households that filed for assistance by May 2018, more than the previous 10 years combined!

So now that we have a little bit of the background, many of you might remember when there was a lot going around about the state of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. I have always thought that Puerto Rico has been fed the shorter end of the stick. They are owned by the United States, who prides itself on being the land of the free. Yet, Puerto Ricans are classified as U.S. Citizens but do not have the ability to vote for the President, only for the primaries. And they were not put under priority after Hurricane Maria. FEMA was not prepared to aid Puerto Rico. As stated earlier, the U.S. Virgin Islands were hit hard during Hurricane Irma, so much of the supplies that were in the FEMA Warehouse in Puerto Rico were used to help the Virgin Island residents. Once Maria came to Puerto Rico, FEMA did not have a good number of supplies to successfully aid the island. After Maria, there was an influx of people getting hurt and needing medical attention, but there were several clinics that did not have access to the emergency power that FEMA was supposed to provide. In the FEMA reports, the organization claims that they did the best they could with what they were given. They gave many people in Puerto Rico meals and aid. However, many Puerto Ricans disagree with this, stating that the “meals” provided were not meals at all and mainly boxes of candies and snacks. Also, the entire island wasn’t restored power until a year after Hurrican Maria hit. If you look up the death toll in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, you will find many different numbers ranging from the official toll of 64 to 3,000.

Every couple of years there is a stronger storm than the last, and we as a country and a community need to be prepared. Puerto Rico is surrounded by water in one of the most intense oceans in the world, and as a country, I believe that we need to protect them from what they may experience in the future. I think that there may have been a chance that FEMA tried to do the best they could in aiding Puerto Rico after the hurricane, but if they couldn’t successfully help them 3 years ago, who says they will be able to when hurricanes like Hurricane Maria become way more common and more severe. America let Puerto Rico down, and I think we need to change that.

Written by Dominique Agnew, Senior at Cornell University and Climate Justice Now Intern

The second blog in the blog series about previously popular media subjects that continue to affect our world today.

Like I’ve said before on this blog, I had the opportunity to *shortly* study abroad this semester and before I arrived in Brisbane to start off one of the best trips of my life, I could not get away from the posts about the intense fire season that seemed to be never-ending.

By February, people seemed to be more distracted by the then potential threat of Coronavirus than the continuing fires, so when I left to go to Australia on January 30th, I thought that they were done. But this definitely was not the case. New South Wales, one of the six states, was one of the hardest-hit states in the country. NSW is home to almost a third of all Australians and this bushfire season caused 25 people to lose their lives and 6% of the land, over 13 million acres, were put in flames. The fires started in September and the last fire did not end until March 2, making the Rural Fire Service of NSW announce it to be the worst fire season in history. And as most of us know, it’s only going to get worse from here on out. But maybe we can learn from this past fire season to prevent what we hope is not inevitable.

This most recent fire season was in the midst of the hottest and driest summer season in Australia. Many Australians honor themselves by stating that their country barely contributes to climate change, contributing to only 1.3% of global emissions. But what many do not know is that Australia only accounts for .3% of the global population and Australia being of the largest coal exporters, accounts for approximately 4% of global emissions according to a study completed by Beyond Zero Emissions in 2012. Looking at the data in collaboration with other statistics such as the global population and global exports creates a better picture for how much a country actually contributes to global emissions.

One of my assignments in my study abroad program was to interview my homestay mom about how the fires impacted her. Through that interview, I learned that even people that weren’t directly affected by the fires were still scared that they weren’t going to be able to protect their family. On social media, we are able to post articles and memes that show our support for a cause, but I wasn’t able to fully understand the threat until I talked to someone affected first hand.

These bushfires will definitely not be the last of its kind, but I hope that the damage seen and the knowledge learned through and after this cycle helps push for more mitigation and adaptation policies in the future.

Written by Dominique Agnew, Senior at Cornell University and Climate Justice Now Intern

Sources: