Distinguished Scripps Alumna Finds Her Groove with Climate Movement Rooted in Joy

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• Brittany Hook - [email protected]

Topics covered:

• Alumni
• Climate Solutions
• Book Release

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Last Friday night, more than 500 community members packed into Birch Aquarium at Scripps to dance, shimmy and shake off their environmental woes, while also discovering ways to advance climate solutions. At the center of the action was distinguished UC San Diego alumna Ayana Elizabeth Johnson - a marine biologist, climate policy expert and bestselling author.

She was there to lead a "Climate Dance Party," a joyful celebration for our planet that blended music and dancing with opportunities to connect with local climate organizations. Held during Earth Week, the April 24 event also celebrated the paperback release of Johnson's latest New York Times bestselling book, What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures.

"I think of parties as a form of building community around solutions," said Johnson. "That's the bigger picture - but it's also modeling the idea that we can take climate change seriously without taking ourselves seriously. If we can succeed at that, we'll probably entice more people to want to be a part of the work that needs doing, instead of being serious and boring."

In the aquarium's central Galleria, guests danced to beats spun by DJs for Climate Action, while divers performed dance moves inside the Giant Kelp Forest exhibit. Eleven local nonprofits hosted tables in the Blue Beach outdoor space, offering attendees direct pathways to get involved in climate and sustainability work.

Throughout the evening, guests could have books signed by Johnson and complete a Climate Action Venn Diagram, a tool designed to help people pinpoint their ideal role in climate action based on their unique skills and passions.

"I just hope people have a super good time," said Johnson. "My hope is that people connect over the things that they care about and are working on, find new climate besties or collaborators, and that there'll be some ripples from that."

Interdisciplinary education

Johnson studied marine biology at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, earning her PhD in 2011. Her doctoral research focused on the ecology, socioeconomics and policy of sustainably managing coral reefs, particularly in the Caribbean. She was based at the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, or CMBC, which she describes as a unique and special place for interdisciplinary research.

"A lot of people are doing interdisciplinary work now, but to find that kind of intellectual home in graduate school - to have economics and policy be encouraged as part of my marine biology degree - absolutely changed my life and the way I was able to think about problem solving in the world," said Johnson, who last visited campus in 2018. "My training at Scripps and CMBC let me see more pieces of the puzzle than most people are given the structured opportunity to see at that stage of their careers."

During her day-long visit, Johnson reconnected with her former doctoral advisors, visited with current students and participated in a Q&A panel before the evening's festivities began.

Despite being a self-described introvert, Johnson is not afraid of stepping into the limelight to share a message of possibility: that we already have the tools we need to address the climate crisis. She has carried that sentiment across a wide-ranging career spanning science, policy and public engagement, all connected by one common thread. "I think I'm just an Earthling trying to be helpful," she said with a laugh.

Johnson is the co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank focused on the future of coastal cities, and also serves as the Roux Distinguished Scholar at Bowdoin College. She co-edited the bestselling anthology All We Can Save, co-created the Spotify/Gimlet podcast "How to Save a Planet," and co-­authored the Blue New Deal, a roadmap for including the ocean in climate policy. Her work has earned numerous accolades, including being recognized with the TIME Earth Award. She's also adept at bridging science and pop culture, sharing climate insights with millions through platforms ranging from TED Talks to Subway Takes.

Inspiring the next generation

Johnson's message of climate possibility resonated with many of the dance party's attendees, including Toni Sleugh, a fifth-year PhD candidate at Scripps who studies fish and how they're impacted by coastal pollution.

"I've been her biggest fan for years," said Sleugh. "We're both Jamaican, we've both studied marine biology at Scripps, and she has built the kind of career that I really aspire to - moving beyond science and into how science helps society. It's so easy to kind of feel hopeless about the future, but I appreciate her positive energy and focus on tangible solutions."

Sleugh met Johnson during the student Q&A earlier in the day and later represented UC San Diego Sustainability at the main event as a student fellow. Over the past year, the team has been developing the university's new sustainability and climate action plan, and the dance party offered a chance to share that work with the broader community.

"We're here to talk to people about that work and make sure we're getting the word out," said Sleugh. "We're also hoping to spread some climate joy and give people space to reflect on positive things related to climate."

Another student doing outreach at the event was Taarika S., a high school sophomore who has been volunteering with Youth4Climate since eighth grade.

She was motivated to get involved with the youth-led organization - part of the climate action non-profit SanDiego350 - after feeling "immense pressure" about climate change and the sense that it would be her generation's problem to inherit.

"For a while, I felt really scared, just constantly terrified of what could happen," Taarika said. "When I joined Youth4Climate, I was able to translate those emotions into action, and that gave me some power in deciding what my future could look like - building a future that's resilient and sustainable, and that I want to live in."

Through events like the dance party, Taarika hopes to mobilize other high schoolers and middle school students to take climate action, and works to connect them with supportive resources and communities.

"I hope people realize how important youth voices are in this fight for a cleaner future," she said. "And I hope students realize that they do have the power to make a change in their community."

The Birch Aquarium event was one of several Climate Dance Parties on Johnson's book tour, with stops including the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, Monterey Bay Aquarium, American Museum of Natural History and Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture and Environment in Maine.

While Johnson's book offers a wide range of positive possibilities - if we dare to dream big and "get it right" - she also acknowledged the emotional weight of the climate crisis. When asked how to cope with climate anxiety, she stressed how common those feelings are, especially among young people, and offered some sage advice.

"The first thing to say is: you're not alone, not by a long shot. It's totally normal to feel overwhelmed and scared about the future given the direction we're heading in," she said. "But it's super important to know that we have the solutions we need, and that everyone can be a part of helping to make those solutions happen. So I would encourage you to figure out where you fit into building the kind of future you want to live in, and then roll up your sleeves and help make it happen."

Thank you to the following organizations for participating in the event: Climate Science Alliance, In Good Company / Climate Fresk, SanDiego350, San Diego Climate Week, San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative, Surfrider, Third Act SoCal, UC San Diego Climate Champions, UC San Diego Sustainability, Un Mar De Colores and Youth4Climate.

Learn more about research and education at UC San Diego in: Climate Change