Help Melissa Intern in Bonn
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I'm still in shock, but I've been selected to intern with the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat in Bonn, Germany for 6 months!
More specifically, I'll be interning with the Momentum for Change Initiative which is an "initiative spearheaded by the United Nations Climate Change secretariat to shine a light on the enormous groundswell of activities underway across the globe that are moving the world toward a highly resilient, low-carbon future." The internship takes place onsite at the UNFCCC premises in Bonn, Germany. (http://unfccc.int/secretariat/momentum_for_change/items/6214.php)
I'll be assisting the Momentum for Change team in implementing communications activities in the lead-up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, France. The conference will be held at the Le Bourget site from November 30, 2015 to December 11, 2015.
This will be a 6-month internship, beginning on June 15, 2015 and ending on December 15, 2015. It is completely unpaid (no stipend, no accommodations, just an amazing opportunity!). Any donation amount is welcome! I understand that a lot of my friends are students themselves, are just getting their careers started, or due to the current economic climate might not be in the best position to help fund others right now. But just a few dollar contribution is super helpful, and I'll be very grateful.
As many of you know (and many of you are about to find out) I'm passionate about environmental communication. I believe this internship is going to teach me about climate change communication at an international level. While many people believe that climate change is happening, it's very difficult getting people to take action (especially here in Florida...). When I was interviewing for this position, Luis Davila (Momentum for Change Team Leader) asked me: "Why the United Nations? Why go international? Why not affect change at a local level?" This is a great question and it kind of stumped me! Why don't I just stay in Tallahassee or in Florida and do what I can here? (Especially with rising sea levels and our Department of Environmental Protection essentially banning the terms 'climate change', 'global warming' and 'sea level rise'.)
After a lot of soul searching (haha), I ultimately decided that I need to get a global perspective. All I really know is Florida's issues, Florida's setbacks, and Florida's stubbornness (at the state government level) to move forward. Last year I attended a Florida Renewable Energy forum at the FSU law school. The Executive Director of the Florida Office of Energy was a keynote speaker and he basically told a room full of impressionable students that Florida can't make the switch to solar because the grid is necessary (even though a grid connect solar power system is very feasible). He was acting like we'd have to take down the grid infrastructure! I was shocked. He also said that renewable technology is too expensive, and we'd have to wait for other states to lower their prices before we could make any decisions. I asked him how long he thought it would take for Florida to start moving toward renewables, and he said that it would probably take 10 years for Florida to 'start thinking about it'. Meanwhile South Florida is experiencing sea level rise, and government employees are told to refer to it as 'nuisance flooding'.
There's an environmental/climate change communication chasm that exists in Florida. I want to be able to help my state understand the impacts of climate change, but I'm not convinced that people will take a Master's student (with a few years of on and off again communications and video/editing work) seriously. I want to assess climate change initiatives at the international level. What are people doing in other countries around the world to curb emissions or use renewables in beneficial ways? I want to show Florida's people and my state/local government that we can move toward a 'highly resilient, low-carbon future' without putting a dent in Florida's economy. I really think it's possible!
If I had the chance to intern with Momentum for Change, then I'd have the chance to learn from people that recognize the innovative and transformative solutions to climate change. I would be able to bring this knowledge and experience back to Florida, and I'd be able to work with others to bring about change.
Help send this Florida girl to Germany.
-Melissa
More specifically, I'll be interning with the Momentum for Change Initiative which is an "initiative spearheaded by the United Nations Climate Change secretariat to shine a light on the enormous groundswell of activities underway across the globe that are moving the world toward a highly resilient, low-carbon future." The internship takes place onsite at the UNFCCC premises in Bonn, Germany. (http://unfccc.int/secretariat/momentum_for_change/items/6214.php)
I'll be assisting the Momentum for Change team in implementing communications activities in the lead-up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, France. The conference will be held at the Le Bourget site from November 30, 2015 to December 11, 2015.
This will be a 6-month internship, beginning on June 15, 2015 and ending on December 15, 2015. It is completely unpaid (no stipend, no accommodations, just an amazing opportunity!). Any donation amount is welcome! I understand that a lot of my friends are students themselves, are just getting their careers started, or due to the current economic climate might not be in the best position to help fund others right now. But just a few dollar contribution is super helpful, and I'll be very grateful.
As many of you know (and many of you are about to find out) I'm passionate about environmental communication. I believe this internship is going to teach me about climate change communication at an international level. While many people believe that climate change is happening, it's very difficult getting people to take action (especially here in Florida...). When I was interviewing for this position, Luis Davila (Momentum for Change Team Leader) asked me: "Why the United Nations? Why go international? Why not affect change at a local level?" This is a great question and it kind of stumped me! Why don't I just stay in Tallahassee or in Florida and do what I can here? (Especially with rising sea levels and our Department of Environmental Protection essentially banning the terms 'climate change', 'global warming' and 'sea level rise'.)
After a lot of soul searching (haha), I ultimately decided that I need to get a global perspective. All I really know is Florida's issues, Florida's setbacks, and Florida's stubbornness (at the state government level) to move forward. Last year I attended a Florida Renewable Energy forum at the FSU law school. The Executive Director of the Florida Office of Energy was a keynote speaker and he basically told a room full of impressionable students that Florida can't make the switch to solar because the grid is necessary (even though a grid connect solar power system is very feasible). He was acting like we'd have to take down the grid infrastructure! I was shocked. He also said that renewable technology is too expensive, and we'd have to wait for other states to lower their prices before we could make any decisions. I asked him how long he thought it would take for Florida to start moving toward renewables, and he said that it would probably take 10 years for Florida to 'start thinking about it'. Meanwhile South Florida is experiencing sea level rise, and government employees are told to refer to it as 'nuisance flooding'.
There's an environmental/climate change communication chasm that exists in Florida. I want to be able to help my state understand the impacts of climate change, but I'm not convinced that people will take a Master's student (with a few years of on and off again communications and video/editing work) seriously. I want to assess climate change initiatives at the international level. What are people doing in other countries around the world to curb emissions or use renewables in beneficial ways? I want to show Florida's people and my state/local government that we can move toward a 'highly resilient, low-carbon future' without putting a dent in Florida's economy. I really think it's possible!
If I had the chance to intern with Momentum for Change, then I'd have the chance to learn from people that recognize the innovative and transformative solutions to climate change. I would be able to bring this knowledge and experience back to Florida, and I'd be able to work with others to bring about change.
Help send this Florida girl to Germany.
-Melissa
Organiser
Melissa Kaye Angel
Organiser
Tallahassee, FL