Ryan (he/him) is a recent graduate of St. Lawrence University and is currently pursuing an MA in Climate and Society at the Columbia Climate School. While at Columbia, Ryan is studying climate change journalism, grassroots activism, and climate justice. He is an active member of the Sunrise Movement and other organizing groups in NYC.
In a historic statement on October 22, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander announced support for a plan to divest the city’s pension funds from downstream and midstream fossil fuel infrastructure. Paired with previous divestments in upstream infrastructure and public holdings in fossil fuels, this plan would make NYC the first major U.S. city to fully divest major public pension funds from fossil fuel infrastructure. Lander has been showered with praise for this decision. But where is the praise for the activists who helped make it happen through direct action?
“I am not optimistic. I think it will get harder and harder.” This was St. Lawrence County (NY) farmer Dan Kent’s response when asked how climate change will impact local farmers in the years to come. Localized farming practices have both economic and environmental advantages for the North Country. But with warming temperatures and varying weather patterns, local farmers in the region will need to find ways to adapt in order to maintain their livelihoods and retain the benefits of local food systems.
A new toolkit from Talking Rivers invites organizations to rethink their relationship with the living world—through language, governance, and the simple act of listening.