Erin VanLaningham and John Barton interview atmospheric scientist Katharine Hayhoe on the most recent episode of NetVUE’s podcast, Callings. Katharine is a distinguished professor and the Political Science Endowed Chair in Public Policy and Public Law at Texas Tech University, where she is also an associate in the Public Health program of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. She currently serves as the chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy as well. Her most recent book is Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World.
Katharine speaks openly as a deeply committed Christian about how she became a climate scientist because of her faith. Climate change disproportionally affects the most vulnerable, she explains, so “caring about and acting on climate change” is an act of “loving our neighbor, which is our primary Christian responsibility.” She believes that individuals can and must change the system by using their voices and becoming advocates.
Even in the face of crises such as climate change, Katharine invites us to see that hope is not the same as optimism or wishful thinking. “Hope is not a feeling,” she says; “hope is a practice.”
Click here to listen to the episode featuring Katharine Hayhoe titled “Crisis, Hope, and Action.”
Stephanie L. Johnson is the editor of Vocation Matters.