S1E69 - Dr. Kristina Dahl - Climate Change: Suffering Up Ahead But Ways to Mitigate
We spoke with leading climate scientist Dr. Kristina Dahl about the vital need for systemic solutions to the systemic problem of climate change and the vacillation many of us feel between hope and despair. If fossil fuels remain indispensable to us, what can be done and what, especially, can we as individuals do to curb carbon emissions and stave off extinction? One of TIME magazine's 2023 list of the world's 100 most influential people, Dr. Dahl takes us into depths of greater understanding of what needs to be done to make a difference.
Biography
Kristina Dahl is principal climate scientist for the Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. In her role, she provides scientific direction, strategic thinking, and technical and analytical expertise for the climate team as well as across UCS campaigns and programs. Dr. Dahl is also responsible for designing, executing, and communicating scientific analyses to make climate change more tangible to the general public, and to policymakers. Her research focuses on the impact of climate change, particularly sea level rise and extreme heat, on people and places. Much of her work involves spatial analyses and products, reflecting her lifelong passion for maps.
Prior to joining UCS, Dr. Dahl was the associate director of a school-wide climate change initiative at Rutgers University, and provided scientific guidance as a course scientist for the American Museum of Natural History’s Seminars on Science program, a set of online courses geared toward K-12 educators. She also served as a science communicator for Al Gore’s Climate Project, delivering presentations on global warming for K-12 students and adult learners.
Dr. Dahl earned a PhD in paleoclimate from the MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program, and a BA in Earth sciences from Boston University. She has been quoted in Bloomberg, The Guardian, National Geographic, The New York Times, The New Republic, San Francisco Chronicle, The Weather Channel, and local news outlets.
Watch Dr. Dahl on FRANCE 24 English.
Blog: Kristina Dahl/Union of Concerned Scientists
Report: Killer Heat in the United States
Report: Rising Seas, Chronic Floods, and the Implications for US Coastal Real Estate
Interactive Rising Sea Level Map
Report: The Fossil Fuels Behind Forest Fires
Report: The Infuriating Link Between Wildfires and Fossil Fuel Companies
Conversation recorded on February 2, 2024.