Jacquelyn Gill, University of Maine. “Be like the musk ox: fighting climate doomism with ice age resilience.”
Co-sponsored by the Climate Change Institute.
As the climate crisis escalates, we’ve seen the rise of a global movement of scientists, activists, and policymakers working to hold world leaders accountable and to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C. But as climate action lags behind our goals, we’ve also seen the rise of despair, especially among youth. This talk will explore the roots of climate doomism, its impacts on engagement, and its connections to eco-fascism, and how it contributes to further climate delay. To fight defeatism, activists, communicators, and educators can draw from public health, social science, and social justice movements, using the ice age resilience of Arctic musk ox as a model for building sustained climate action.
Dr. Jacquelyn Gill is an internationally recognized paleoecologist and an outspoken science communication advocate. She is an Associate Professor of Paleoecology & Plant Ecology and the Director of the BEAST Lab at the University of Maine. In addition to her passion for research and teaching, Dr. Gill is also dedicated to sharing science with the public. She is a co-host of the podcast Warm Regards and author of the blog “The Contemplative Mammoth”, welcoming conversations and advice on science, early career academia, and diversity in STEM.
