Climate Week returns for a fifth semester

Climate Week is back at MSU, allowing students to learn more about climate change and the science behind it.

This event series originated on campus in April 2023 through collaboration between the Campus Climate Coalition (CCC) and the faculty-led Climate Solutions Group. Now in its fifth consecutive semester, Climate Week featured a variety of events from Nov. 17 to Nov. 19, with the final event set for Nov. 20. These events were organized by faculty members, staff and students.

 So far, the week included a Climate and Environment film showcase on Nov. 17, an electric vehicle showcase on Nov. 18 and a Climbing for Climate event on Nov. 19.

There will be a talk on Nov. 20 from Karin Kirk, a former NASA employee whose work was edited to remove references of climate change caused by human activity. According to her, her job at NASA was to explain climate science to the public, using cartoons, social media or animated satellite images.

 “Right before the election, things started working differently, dramatically differently, and the idea of human-caused climate change, or effects from human activities regarding climate change, started to be edited right out of my work,” Kirk said.

 She said that these edits became increasingly upsetting as she could see her work — and the work of others — straying further away from their mission.

 “Our mission had been to take the science and make it for everyone, and now we were really backing away from it. That's not our mission,” she said.

 Paul Lachapelle, an MSU political science professor and organizer for Climate Week, said that climate change is a topic that he — along with many students and faculty — feels is important to be talking about during their time at MSU.

 “This is an issue that all students are going to face when they graduate,” Lachapelle said. “It will affect their professional and personal lives moving forward. And we think it's a responsibility of the University to offer coordinated opportunities for learning and engagement on this topic.”

 Climate Week’s activities and events are unique, according to Lachapelle. The event is given a small budget for the activities with little support.

 “The fact that students step up and do this, it's really, it's a pretty amazing and outstanding feat that they accomplish this every semester,” Lachapelle said.

 Gracie Caldwell, president of the CCC at MSU and an environmental sciences student, helped to plan Climate Week. According to her, policies should tackle the unsustainable practices of large corporations, whilst also ensuring climate change information is made accessible to everyone.

 “I shouldn't be able to look at climate data and be the only one to understand it,” Caldwell said. “I want lots of people to be able to understand it.”

 Caldwell said that it is important to learn about sustainability, but that doesn't mean everyone is expected to switch to a perfectly sustainable life.

 “I want to live in a world where people don't have to think about sustainability in their daily life, that they can go to their nine-to-five job and see their two kids at home and buy them toys for Christmas, and not worry about [if that] contributes to greenhouse gas,” Caldwell said.

 According to her, the volunteers are not working on Climate Week because they only care about the environment — they also care about the community.

 “We want you to live a happy, healthy, successful life of your dreams.” Caldwell said. “But we worry that with climate change, not many people will be able to do that, and we believe that we can go about climate action in a way that improves everyone's lives.”

 Lachapelle said that the more he learns about science, the more he feels it is important that the University provides a space for people to learn about climate change.

 “We are getting closer and closer to critical tipping points that may be irreversible,” he said. “It's our responsibility to ensure a habitable planet for these students and the next generation of students before we reach these irreversible tipping points. The science is crystal clear.”

For more information on Climate Week, visit https://www.montana.edu/communitydevelopment/climateweek.html.