Why We're All on the Same Team in the Fight Against Climate Change

"I always wanted to have an impact on the world, which sounds pretty dreamy, but that's why I decided to study international relations and global communications in college. I knew I wanted to understand how the world works and the systems that shaped people's lives. I also wanted a global challenge, which drew me into climate change."

"I always wanted to visit the Great Barrier Reef, and when I was there, we went diving with my friends. It was going be this incredible experience, but I was very surprised at how bleached the corals were. That really struck me."

"During that time, I took a trip to Fiji, where I stayed with a local community and saw firsthand how climate change was basically rewriting their daily lives. I saw the impact of changing rain patterns for their agriculture. [Locals] told me how fishing had changed over the years and how sea level was rising. They were very aware of all of this and that really affected me-seeing firsthand how people that have contributed almost nothing to the problem were the ones that were absorbing all the consequences."

Marina Saguar Urquiola pursued international relations and global communications to understand systems shaping people’s lives and to address a global challenge. Experiences in Australia and New Zealand brought direct exposure to climate change impacts, including bleached corals at the Great Barrier Reef. A trip to Fiji included staying with a local community and observing how climate change rewrote daily life through shifting rain patterns affecting agriculture, changing fishing conditions, and rising sea levels. She emphasized the injustice of those contributing least to climate change absorbing the greatest consequences. These experiences guided her toward climate work and narrowing her focus to climate adaptation through finance, with community placed at the center of her efforts.

Read at State of the Planet