Climate Change is Personal

Today we're here with the kind-hearted Charlie Krouse fka Laura; A climate organizer and advocate for reproductive justice and disability rights. Charlie has multiple auto-immune diseases, a brain tumor, and Lyme disease, which she has likely lived with for 7 years undiagnosed before her diagnosis 3 years ago. Climate change is personal to Charlie because the tick that bit her, the Lone Star tick, in southern Oregon is not common to the Northern US but has expanded its territory due to climate change. Realizing this has put an urgent push on Charlie's advocacy work to pass policies that can help protect people's health here in the United States that are similarly threatened by the climate crisis.

Today we're here with the thoughtful Alexia Leclercq, a French and Taiwanese 21 year old community organizer working at the intersection of climate justice and disability justice in Texas. Alexia is passionate about bringing awareness to the disproportionate harm that climate change causes people of color with disabilities, particularly mental disabilities, which are often overlooked even in disability justice spaces. Climate change is personal to Alexia because they have experienced how climate change grief, fear, and anxiety exacerbate disability. Alexia is a fierce advocate for people with disabilities leading in the climate movement and the wisdom that their communities have around effective advocacy.

Today we're here with the inventive Izzy Landerman, a 17-year-old disabled climate activist with Ehlers-Danlos (ay-lurs dan-los) syndrome. Izzy's mom and grandmother also have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and Izzy has seen firsthand how hard it can be for people with disabilities to be taken seriously by medical professionals. Climate change is personal to Izzy because, as someone who often walks with a cane and is reliant on dependable access to medication, her disability makes her vulnerable to the extreme weather events that are increasing like blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires. Izzy takes action in her local community advocating for disabled people to be leaders rather than tokenized in the climate movement and making climate advocacy work accessible.

Today, we're listening to the brilliant Kali Welch, a 34-year-old rural, working class, disabled veteran of the U.S. Army. Kali is an overwhelmingly proud auntie, and aspiring photographer living in small town Montana. Today, she'll share her personal experience at the intersection of disability justice, rural justice, economic justice, and climate justice. Climate change is personal to Kali because she saw firsthand how disability creates vulnerabilities to climate disasters like wildfires and how cycles of poverty make climate change increasingly challenging. Kali advocates for herself and others within the disability community and enjoys the beautiful mountains of Montana whenever her body allows.