This video has presented me with a challenge to think more deeply about my future. I have cared about climate change from a young age, and I have searched for a career that will help me make a difference as I go through college. The subjects that interest me, the ones that make me sit up straight and strain to not miss a word, are STEM classes. In this video, there was an emphasis on the importance of politics and of communicating the need for climate action, but Professor McCarthy also discussed how enough scientific methods already existed to mitigate the effects of climate change. Furthermore, she argued that one of the problems with our approach to the issue is that too many people are focusing on the STEM side of the problem as opposed to communicating with the public. If this assertion is true, then the overlap between my interests (science and math) and a cause I care deeply about (combating climate change) may be harder to find than I had anticipated. However, I am still hopeful that I will find a way to merge my interests and values into a fulfilling career.
I hope that this interview can positively effect the world as a whole by emphasizing both the importance of acknowledging climate change and of taking social, political action to mitigate it. Professor McCarthy made some good points about young people feeling so frustrated with government that their work becomes less efficient, so hopefully this warning is headed as well.