An Interview With Climate Scientist, Andrea Brunelle
Back in January, we asked our Instagram followers: If you could ask a climate scientist anything, what would it be?
Climate science can often feel like a language of its own—one spoken by experts in a world where policies and decisions affect us all but rarely include us. At times, it can seem impossible to get a direct answer to big questions, like whether the government even listens to scientists.
The good news? We have incredible climate scientists right here at the University of Utah.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Andrea Brunelle, professor for the School of Environment, Society, and Sustainability at the U. Her research spans a wide range of topics, from palaeoecology to hydrology, and she has contributed to an extensive body of research, with nearly 60 published papers. Brunelle earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental geology and quaternary studies, followed by a doctorate in geography.
In our interview, Brunelle touched on how communication around climate change has evolved over the last decade. Climate science can be complex and full of scientific jargon, but its implications impact everyone. This has highlighted the need for tailoring our language to a broader audience. One of the ideas that changed Brunelle’s approach to teaching climate change was that “fear doesn’t work.” She went on to explain that spurring existential crises only makes people shut down.
If you’re anything like me, it can be difficult to hold off on unsolicited conversations about climate change, but Brunelle underscored the importance of meeting people where they’re at by gauging how open they are to having a conversation. If they’re closed off, she doesn’t push, but if they have questions she aims to answer them with openness, often referring back to the 3 irrefutable facts about climate change: that greenhouse gasses trap heat/energy in the atmosphere, that humans have increased greenhouse gas concentrations through the burning of fossil fuels, and that global temperatures have already risen by over 1 degree Celsius.
Climate change is inherently personal. Everything is connected to it, including our lifestyles and homes. Finding out what people are interested in and value, Brunelle adds, can be a potential avenue for talking about climate change as it grounds the concept in a relatable way.
Interpersonal relatability is also a unique asset. People hear about climate change on the news and social media, but it’s hard to know what information can be trusted. The relationships we’ve built with our friends and family create a baseline of trust when introducing the topic of climate change that can’t be replicated in the media, which explains why there’s a lot of potential in having climate conversations close to home.
On the same token, it’s good to continually expand your knowledge of climate change and seek updated information. One climate trend that troubles Brunelle is the slowing of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation or AMOC. This global circulation pattern is responsible for distributing heat and nutrients around the earth and regulating our climate and oceans. A large part of what makes the slowing so alarming is that, while she knows AMOC has shut down before, seeing it happening in real-time due to human modification is scary. Another troubling aspect is that we don’t know what to expect if we do turn off AMOC, especially in the context of an otherwise warming planet.
Though the breadth of some impacts of climate change is unknown, the fact that it’s happening is not, and the solutions already exist. Brunelle noted that the real barrier is in implementation, that the US government and industries have not been tackling this in an “impressive or appropriate” way, that they should be playing “a much bigger role” in addressing climate change. She mentioned that she opts to take individual action like not eating meat, but that we need serious top-down action and a huge push for renewable energy to get off fossil fuels, something that will likely require government enforcement and industry regulations. Climate change at this point, she argues, is not so much of an “intellectual problem” as it is an “emotional and social issue.”
Equally important to top-down action, bottom-up or grassroots initiatives can empower communities to build emotional resilience and work together to improve lives. Emotional resilience is vital for preventing burnout and enabling people to have the space and resources to hold the government and industries accountable. We can foster this by caring for our neighbors and our local environment.
One avenue Brunelle mentioned for building emotional resilience is the Good Grief Network, which is a mutual support group for individuals struggling with eco-distress and the collective trauma of social and environmental injustices. Brunelle noticed herself and her students feeling broken by the weight of the climate change crisis, inspiring her to get involved with the network. She recommends people feeling similarly “connect back with what we’re trying to save,” like going on hikes with friends and hugging your pets. Simply find ways every day to remind yourself why you care and that you have support.
Finding community as we move forward won’t just enable us to gain traction for government action and build emotional capacity but give us people to lean on when we falter.
As we move into the future, Brunelle hopes to see more research and investment in mitigating climate change and helping people adapt. Some of the most disheartening things we’re witnessing are the widespread suffering of vulnerable species and populations. Though climate change is a global issue, not everyone is affected by it to an equal extent. Often, the people who contribute the least to climate change are the most vulnerable to its impacts. Brunelle believes funding should be allocated towards transitioning to green energy and social justice efforts or, in other words, “helping people who aren’t necessarily in a position to help themselves cope with these changes.”
The goal is to grow the number of people who understand and care about climate change. As we have open conversations, just like this one, we can get closer to achieving that mission and building the future we want to see.
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Source: https://wasatchmag.com/an-interview-with-climate-scientist-andrea-brunelle/
