If you consider yourself to be an environmentalist, then Karina Alvarez is your queen and you should be bowing at her feet thanking her for all of the work she does to help save our planet. On the other hand, if you’re not yet concerned with current environmental and sustainability issues then you need to stop what you’re doing and read her insightful interview to learn more about the pressing problems that threaten to change our world as we know it.
Year: Sophomore
Major: Environmental Science
Hometown: Downey, CA
Involvement on Campus: ECO Students President, Ignatians Service Organization
Can you tell us a little bit about the recent sustainability event at LMU that you were a part of?
The event was the California Student Sustainability Coalition (CSSC) Convergence and it served as an opportunity for hundreds of students across the state to come together, network, build their movements, and learn the skills that they need to make their campuses more sustainable. CSSC is a nonprofit that is almost entirely student run, even down to our campaigns and Convergences, so it provides a lot of opportunities for leadership development. The Convergence is a three day event of workshops and panels hosted once a semester by a school with a CSSC chapter. This year, it was co-hosted by LMU ECO Students and Santa Monica College. Students lead workshops, speak on panels, and share our campaigns. Everyone brings their passions and experiences to share with each other, we learn how to effectively make change in our communities, learn about the issues, and connect for future projects.
What did you like most about this event?
My favorite part was that we focused on the three pillars of sustainability: ecology, equity, and economy. It goes beyond traditional environmentalism to examine the intersections of complex social, economic, and environmental systems. We really worked to bring a social justice conversation into this year’s Convergence especially because it was hosted by LMU, a Jesuit school with a social justice mission statement. Work in sustainability can be especially challenging because progress is often slow and these are huge problems to tackle, but it’s a feeling unlike any other knowing that you have a huge community that loves and supports you in this fight for our planet.
What do you think is the most pressing environmental/sustainability issue right now?
I believe climate change is the most pressing issue right now, not just as an environmental issue, but as a major social justice issue. It’s a dangerous topic because it is heavily politicized, it is happening now, and it will affect every aspect of our lives. In a huge survey of environmental science papers on climate change, a study found that 97% of scientists were in agreement that climate change is real and is caused by humans, so there should be no debate over whether people “believe” in climate change or not.
Climate change is happening right now and we can already see the negative impacts. Pacific islanders are losing their homes to rising sea levels, farmers are losing crops from severe droughts, and thousands of species go extinct each year. The Pentagon has identified climate change as a threat to national security, and it is time for us to start responding to it like it is.
Most importantly, climate change terrifies me because it will change everything. It goes beyond polar bears and melting glaciers. Most of us don’t know that extreme weather events, which will be more frequent with climate change, lead to spikes in human trafficking, prostitution, and child slavery because those alternatives become some of the only options when your livelihood is destroyed. Small islands will continue to disappear, droughts, snow, storms, and cold will all become longer and extreme. Climate change will impact already vulnerable communities who do not have the resources to cope with these changes. This is our generation’s fight and I think we have an ethical obligation to combat it.
What tips can you give people to help solve this problem?
The first big way a person can work towards sustainability is by educating him or herself. The lack of environmental education in our schools paired with misinformation by politicians and big companies has led to a big misunderstanding about the issues. John Oliver’s “Climate Change Debate” is one of my favorite segments and is a great place to start. On a daily basis, a person can make a substantial impact by going meatless. I think a lot of people get discouraged when someone suggests this, but it is important to understand that even choosing one meatless meal per day or week can really add up. In the same way we don’t ask people to completely stop driving cars, we don’t ask people to go vegan overnight. Instead I encourage folks to be just more intentional about the food that they eat and understand the impacts of their choices. Animal agriculture is the single leading cause of deforestation and ocean dead zones, which causes species extinction and water depletion. This industry also contributes more annual greenhouse gas emissions than all trains, planes, and cars combined.
What type of career are you interested in?
Recently I have thought a lot about ecological restoration in sensitive or destroyed habitats, like the Ballona Wetlands. I’m interested in continuing to work in Los Angeles and to help balance urbanization with conservation and restoration.
If you had three wishes what would they be?
1. For cows and their methane to not exist in our food system.
2. For everyone to understand that climate change is real.
3. Magic hiking boots that I could click my heels in to teleport me to any national park in the world.