There are so many overwhelming and interconnected problems in the world today. Climate change is a wicked problem, one with a multitude of causes and a diversity of solutions. If you’re here reading this, you might also be overwhelmed by the climate crisis, wondering if and how you can be part of the solution. I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone. 

We’re still living in a time of converging crises, but this is an opportunity for immense collaboration. I graduated with an interdisciplinary climate science master’s degree in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic. The whole world was on lockdown and most of my interactions with loved ones and colleagues were over Zoom. It was during this time that the sky in my hometown in the San Francisco Bay Area was ablaze in orange due to the West Coast wildfires that summer. I had studied the science of climate change, participated in climate strikes, and evaluated policy solutions, but this was the first time the impacts of climate change hit so close to home. Climate reports can claim “Code Red,” but they’re really just confirming the reality that so many frontline communities are facing today – climate change is already affecting the health and well-being of life on this planet, and it will have irreparable damages if the people on this planet don’t use their power collectively to decarbonize our systems immediately.

During this confusing, apocalyptic post-grad time, I reached out to my friends from school and various walks of the climate movement to discuss what we could do. We realized that everyone could discover their part in fighting the climate crisis when empowered with a comprehensive climate education. Many organizations were already doing amazing work in climate and could amplify one another’s potential if they had the infrastructure for collaboration. We wanted to create an accessible platform to teach the public what was happening to our planet and create a sense of community to connect with one another to fight the climate crisis together. Remotely, we brainstormed a flurry of ideas until Albedo Climate Solutions was born. We named our organization Albedo, a scientific term that refers to the amount of solar radiation that a surface reflects. This name emphasizes how we will guide individuals and groups to reflect on their part in the climate crisis and take action towards increasing our planet’s reflectivity, thus reducing global temperatures! 

As more people experience the immediate impacts of climate change, the need for reliable climate information is more apparent than ever. This past year, the leading source for climate information in the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), upgraded its “Climate.gov” website due to a growing demand for climate information in the United States. If you’re still reading this, you probably yearn to learn more than just the science of climate change and its impacts – you want meaningful, tangible solutions and maybe even want to implement them in your own community. I’m excited to introduce Albedo Climate Solutions to you and unveil our three solution groups: Education, Content Creation, and Collaboration. Stay tuned to hear more about our free online program, educational resources, and opportunities for collaboration.