Daniella Rolle at the Red Rocks of Dominica

Hello

My name is Daniella Rolle and this is my story about my passion for climate resiliency. I recently graduated from the Univeristy of British Columbia with a degree in Geography: Environment & Sustainability and a minor in Economics. This projects represents taking what I have learned in my studies for the past three years and applying it to a personal adventure.

My Story

When I hear the words climate change, I see people, not just science. It is more than a political issue but a personal one to me. My passion for sustainability and climate resilience draws from personal realizations of how climate change disproportionately affects my family. Part of family lives in the Appalachian Mountains, one of the poorest communities in the U.S. while another part of my family is still deeply entrenched in the remnants of the Jim Crow Era in the rural lands of the Deep South. Last but certainly not least, my Dominican family, who lives on a beautiful island, has already learned that devastation is slowly becoming the new normal. Learning in a classroom that every part of my family fits the mould of those who will be the least likely to protect themselves from climatic events yet are also disproportionately exposed to them inspired my passion for climate resilience.

We talk a lot about how our climate will change, but we speak less about how we plan to withstand the change we know will come. The beauty of climate change (if you can believe there is one) is we can prepare ourselves for the devastation we know is to come in advance. Much like the ancient story of Pandora's Box, beneath all the fear and terror – there is hope. Climate resilience represents hope, the opportunity for a brighter future that puts people at the center of our decisions.

This is an effort that requires all people regardless of background and demographic to be involved in climate resilience

My work is dedicated to my beautiful family and those who are like my family that were deeply affected by Hurricane Maria; and to the tiniest members of my family who I hope know that there are people who care about their future.