The Social Good Summit and the Science of Climate Change
By Swarnima Shrestha, +SocialGood Connector, Development Communications Specialist, and Women’s rights advocate
It will not be an exaggeration to say that the climate crisis is the biggest problem humanity is facing today. Though some people still deny that climate change is real, it is happening all over the globe and it is affecting us all. And like all other disasters and crisis, it is affecting the poorer and vulnerable communities more.
The theme of this year’s Social Good Summit 2019 was the catastrophic threat of climate change. It was a great opportunity for me to attend the Summit in New York, as a +SocialGood Connector. This was the tenth year of the summit which was launched together by UN Foundation, Mashable, 92nd Street Y, and United Nations Development Programme. The summit brought together global thought leaders, new media and technology experts, grassroots activists, and influential voices from around the globe for constructive dialogue and on-stage activations. There were amazing speakers and very insightful discussions throughout the summit.
One of the sessions that made a deep impression on me was a conversation titled, ‘On the Edge: Climate and Coastal Cities.’ The speakers on this session were Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Founder of Ocean Collective, Rania Batrice, Partner at The Win Company, and Dr. Kate Marvel, Climate Scientist at NASA. I had the opportunity of catching up with Dr. Marvel after the session and I was able to ask her some questions about the climate crisis and NASA’s role in the regard. Here’s a brief synopsis of our conversation:
Q: What do you say to people who still do not think climate change is real?
Dr. Kate Marvel: Science does not necessarily change people’s mind. Giving people more facts, does not change people’s mind. Mostly as scientists, we have a tendency to say here’s some equation, here’s some graph, here’s some data — but that is not what moves people. Things like stories move people. Things like trusted messenger move people. I think it is important that scientists start working together with people who know how to tell these stories and start working together with communities that are impacted. That is a better way to get that message across.
Q: The developing countries contribute very little to carbon emissions and other factors leading to climate change in comparison the more developed industrialized nations. But it is the developing countries who are already facing more consequences of it. What do you have to say about that?
Dr. Kate Marvel: That’s the most upsetting part about climate change for me. The countries that have emitted the least are the ones that will be most disproportionately impacted. That makes me very angry as a human being. It is very important for the more industrialized countries, the countries that are wealthy, the countries that have benefitted from the recent history — those countries have more of a heavy lift. We have to cut our emissions more, if we don’t, the real price of climate change will be paid by people who did the least to cause it.
Q: What is NASA doing in terms of trying to combat climate change?
Dr. Kate Marvel: NASA’s mission is to observe and protect the planet. I don’t speak for the agency, I speak for myself right now. But the earth is our planet — and it is the best planet. NASA’s role is to be the most reliable source of data and science about this planet. If you go to climate.nasa.gov, they have done a fantastic job of making science exciting for anyone who wants to look at what is happening to our planet.
Q: What to you have to say to young people who are taking actions and leadership to fight climate change?
Dr. Kate Marvel: Thank You! I am sorry. You should not have to be doing this. This is a problem that should have been taken care of a long time ago.
