麻豆影院

Climate justice is all about dignity.

That鈥檚 according to Phaedra Pezzullo, an associate professor of communication at CU 麻豆影院.

鈥淐limate change is disproportionately impacting those who have created the least global greenhouse gases, and too often they are left out of conversations about what to do about it,鈥澛爏he said. 鈥淭o address climate chaos, we have to uphold, improve and practice a more inclusive understanding of dignity.鈥�

This spring, Pezzullo led the foundational graduate course for the Certificate in Environmental Justice, in which students uplifted voices from Colorado communities disproportionately impacted by climate change.

鈥淏eing able to see themselves in stories is empowering and allows [communities] to act,鈥� said Anthony Albidrez (MJour鈥�23), who took the class while working toward his graduate certificate in environmental justice.

The course grew out of a to prioritize areas for environmental action. The state worked to quantify air particulates and water pollution while CU students created corresponding narratives 鈥� expected as of press time to launch in June 2022 鈥� featuring impacted communities.

鈥淪cientific language can be hard to dive into,鈥� said Albidrez. 鈥淲hen people understand more, they can take the information they鈥檝e learned, act on it, shift policy changes and hold the government accountable.鈥�

Funded by grants from , Payden Teaching Excellence, the and the Department of Environmental Studies Colloquium Series, the course gave students a chance to help Colorado policy makers understand the local impacts of climate change 鈥� and engage community members for solutions.

鈥淓ven if a place is identified as one of the most polluted, it鈥檚 also a beloved place to people who live and work there,鈥� said Pezzullo.

The course aligns with the work of the Center for Creative Climate Communication and Behavior Change (C3BC), which Pezzullo co-directs. In partnership with other campus groups like the Just Transition Collaborative and RISE: Resilient Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, the C3BC鈥檚 multidisciplinary faculty and students connect with communities whose voices have been excluded from conversations about climate policy.

鈥淭o fix climate chaos, we have to engage people,鈥� said Pezzullo. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a people problem 鈥� not a wolf problem or a whale problem. Humans are the major drivers of climate chaos, and we have to transform our own species to solve it.鈥�

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