Episode 29 - The Arctic is Melting! Do Something World - NOW!

Today we speak with Alaskan Robin Bronen about her vital work in addressing the severe climate crisis unfolding throughout the Arctic region where temperatures recently reached 38C in a region that is meant to stay frozen all of the time! Though often ignored by much of the world, what happens in the Arctic will affect us all. As permafrost melts, as pack ice melts, as glaciers melt, not only does human habitation become increasingly difficult, but this is accompanied by the release of massive quantities of methane gas which is a far worse contributor to worsening climate change than CO2. Thousands of Alaska's indigenous residents are facing the prospect of permanent relocation, and resultant landlessness and homelessness with only sporadic government support to these increasingly vulnerable populations. Episode 29 is a wake up call for everyone, everywhere, so please listen closely and determine how best you can help to stop these horrible developments. Jointly Venturing again would like to thank Robin for today's episode and for her amazing work on behalf of the people of the Arctic and beyond. We dedicate Episode 29 to the indigenous people of Alaska and throughout the Arctic who by no fault of their own stand to lose everything as climate change threatens their very existence. Robin Bronen lives in Alaska, works as a human rights attorney and has been working with Alaska Native communities since 2007 on the issue of climate-forced relocation. She is a senior research scientist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Institute of Arctic Biology. She is also the cofounder and executive director of the Alaska Institute for Justice, a non-profit agency that is the only immigration legal service provider in Alaska, houses a Language Interpreter Center, training bilingual Alaskans to be professional interpreters, and also is a research and policy institute focused on climate justice issues. She worked with the White House Council on Environmental Quality to implement President Obama’s Climate Change Task Force recommendation to address climate displacement. She works as an expert on climate-forced planned relocations as a member of the advisory group for the Platform on Disaster Displacement, an international consultative process intended to build consensus on the development of an international human rights and protection agenda addressing the needs of people displaced in the context of natural hazards, including the effects of climate change. Her research has been featured in the Guardian, CNN, and others and she regularly presents her research at conferences focused on climate change adaptation, disaster relief reduction and climate change and population displacement. The Alaska Bar Association awarded her the 2007 Robert Hickerson Public Service award and the 2012 International Human Rights award. The Federal Bureau of Investigation awarded the Alaska Institute for Justice the 2012 FBI Director’s Community Service award, the International Soroptimist’s awarded her the 2012 Advancing the Rights of Women award and Victims for Justice awarded her the 2014 Advocacy Award.