A great deal of the public debate about our changing climate has been centered in science and policy: How do we know the climate is changing, what is responsible (and how do we know that), and what should be done about this situation? For the purpose of this short article, it might be said that we think about climate change with our heads, rather than our hearts.
Mary Heglar is out to change that; in fact, a recent interview with Heglar is titled “Mary Heglar on Leading with the Heart, Not the Head.” Heglar was interviewed by Emma Marris, a science and environmental writer whose works include the book Rambunctious Garden and articles in journals such as National Geographic, Wired, Outside, and the New York Times.
The interview, which is linked to some of Heglar’s most notable essays, makes a compelling case that understanding and acting on climate change is not just a matter of knowing the technicalities of the science, but also of developing empathy, the quality of feeling what the impacts of a changing climate will be. Moreover, for Heglar, climate justice is intimately connected to racial justice: people and communities of color stand to be disproportionately harmed by the changes that are anticipated in the next few years and decades.
One of Heglar’s essays that really put her in the broader conversation about climate was “After the Storm: How Hurricane Katrina and the murder of Emmett Till shaped one woman’s commitment to climate justice.” This piece has all the hallmarks of Heglar’s writing: a compelling personal voice, powerful argument, unexpected connections that deepen the impact of the argument, and vivid details that stay in the reader’s mind long after the piece is finished. If you haven’t read Heglar, start here.
Many times, people who want to broaden their reading/understanding of the connections between climate justice and racial justice say that they don’t know where to start. Both of these fields are inherently interdisciplinary and key contributions are not necessarily found in one or two academic or professional journals. Here again, Heglar is a pathbreaking figure. Her “Green Voices of Color” Twitter list contains a thousand writers and organizations who are working on issues of climate justice, environmental justice, and racial justice.
Mary Heglar’s writing is extraordinary in its own right. She also, however, opens us up to many professional and academic discourses that are central to addressing climate change and racial injustice, which are two of the most important and difficult issues we currently face