Name: Tuesday Hahn

Social Justice Group: Climate Change: Rising Sea Levels / Plastic Pollution

Date of Fieldwork: January 26, 2024

Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):Keanu Arpels-Josiah

Type of Fieldwork: Interview

What I did and what I learned about my topic, activism, social justice work or civil and human rights work from this fieldwork?:

On Friday, January 26th, me and my group, along with the plastic pollution group, had an interview at the high school with Keanu Arpels-Josiah. Keanu is a climate activist and member of many climate groups, such as Fridays for Future which was founded by Greta Thunberg.

Our meeting started off in the high school library. During the interview, we talked about many climate issues needing to be addressed in not only the US, but around the world. He told us about how the climate crisis doesn’t only affect our planet, but also people. We learned that people in poorer communities are highly affected by pollution, leading to unsafe drinking water.

One major thing that stuck with me from our interview is how much major companies contribute to the climate crisis. Around the world, companies are apart of systems of capitalism, which leads to major levels of CO2 being released into the air. This is super important to know, because as the CO2 levels rise, our planet slowly gets destroyed. Keanu informed us how at this rate, climate change is going to take years of work and dedication from everyone to reverse, and that is if people start making an effort. Major oil companies also contribute to climate change, putting oil into the oceans and killing off major ecosystems and putting many animals in danger.

To conclude, after this interview i feel like I now know a lot more about the climate crisis and Keanu’s experience in working with climate activists has motivated me to become more passionate in our topic.