“Climate change action is important to me because I care deeply about the people around me. In this ever-changing world, I want to secure a happy, healthy and safe future for my family. Especially now that we share the world with COVID-19, providing for my family is a top priority – I want my siblings, my cousins, and my future nieces and nephews to grow up in a world that can take care for them the same way it has taken care of me. That means preserving what is left of Earth’s natural resources and making a transition toward sustainable living now, while there is still time. I take pride in being a climate activist because I know that my work is helping preserve the world for the people who matter to me the most.
Climate change is a terrifying specter that currently looms over the younger generations of the world who will live to experience the bulk of its effects. For myself, and many of my peers, this is a source of daily anxiety. The sheer magnitude of this problem keeps us from acting on it. In conversations about climate change, the first question that often surfaces in my mind is, “What can I actually do to solve this problem?” Or, “What can I actually do, right now, to fix this, so that I can stop worrying about it?” We all want a quick fix, but unfortunately there is no simple answer, and you might think that your personal emissions reductions don’t matter – you are only one person, after all! However, the Rutgers community has a great opportunity to unite across all three campuses and begin climbing this mountain together. Although individual choices may not make significant differences in global carbon emissions, as a university comprised of over 71,000 students, our choices do matter. This is why climate action is important at Rutgers – together we can make a difference.”
Julia DeFeo
Senior studying biology in Camden
Student researcher at the Rutgers Pinelands Field Station
President of Environmental Action Club at RUC
Co-chair of the Student Advisory Panel of the Rutgers Climate Task Force