Dr. Amber Pairis, AUNE PhD alumni, is inspiring the youth of today to fight climate change. Dr. Pairis recently gave a Community Heroes workshop at the University of California San Diego to 150 local concerned citizens — including a group of students from Crawford High School.
Dr. Pairis champions a collaborative, community-centered approach to climate change and was recently named a Community Hero by both KPBS radio and the National Conflict Resolution Center. She founded and directs the Climate Science Alliance (CSA), which promotes solutions and actions community members can take to address climate change impacts. CSA includes a Climate Kids program focusing on the power of art, science, and storytelling to teach children about taking action.
The student attendees of the workshop were inspired by the simple, accessible actions they realized they could take — and the community they were joining. Crawford High student Phoebe said, “As a high school student, being engaged with climate change was something I hadn’t considered. But spreading hope and knowledge makes a difference. I enjoyed learning about what we can do to help: riding public transportation, recycling and using less electricity.”
Fellow student Tommy agreed: “Growing up, I didn’t anticipate that climate change would have a great impact in the community and world we live in today. Amber’s remarks affected me a lot, causing me to think about the humans who pollute our planet and just trash it as if this world means nothing to them. Amber also mentioned solutions. We millennials are the best generation to abide by them and to come up with more.”
