And they’re off!

At Biosphere2

We are now three years into our intensive study of climate change. We’ve been delving deep into how socioeconomic status affects impact; the science behind the shifts in temperature and weather; repercussions to ecosystems, human and animal populations and landscapes over coming decades and millennia; and maybe most importantly, what we can do now to slow the speed of humankind’s impact on climate shifts.

What we’ve definitely come to understand is that we are in the midst of an extinction event; that humankind’s impact on the climate is real and dangerous; and that we continue to choose profit over long-term sustainability of humanity, to the benefit of a very few and the detriment of us all.

As part of that study, our students meet with scientists, sociologists, politicians, and grassroots activists to deepen our understanding of the role we play in accelerating climate change and the role we can play in slowing that momentum.

Today, a group of students flew to Atlanta where they’ll mosey down to the bayou region of Louisiana to interview people about their observations of storm changes and sea rising on their homes, livelihoods, and lifestyles. Along the way, they’ll also be digging into our country’s past history and present issues with racial and ethnic discrimination, spending time at the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, touring Rural Studio’s series of cleverly designed homes providing affordable houses for some of the poorest people in our nation, and visiting various sites along the Texas-Mexico border where immigrants, agencies, communities and volunteers try to work together to humanely address the myriad issues around entering the United States.