I was nervous the first time I had to put my waders on. Despite the protection provided by my tall waterproof overalls that extend from my feet to just below my neck, I was about to step into the “dirty and gross” Hudson River in New York. I joked with my friends that I would go into the Hudson River and come out with mutations and disease. But, little did I know, this was my first step towards better understanding climate change.

In June of 2023, wildfires began in Canada. These wildfires were caused by the increase in heat and dry conditions as a result of climate change. The smoke released by the fires spread to many areas of the United States including New York. The sun glowed a hazy orange in the sky through the pollution filled air. It was hard to open your eyes while outside because the smoke caused them to burn. Many weather services said that the air quality was so bad that it could cause long-term health issues to anyone who went outside for too long. It felt like something from a sci-fi movie. That’s when I realized that climate change was more serious than I thought. I always knew that climate change would eventually become a huge issue impacting the whole world, but I thought that it would most likely impact future generations, not mine.

Witnessing the consequences of climate change firsthand inspired me to join the “Next Generation of Hudson River Educators Program” through Columbia University to learn more about climate change and help with research around the subject. Going back to what I said earlier, I always thought that the Hudson River was dirty due to its brown color. This is a very common misconception. One of the first things we learned in this program was that the brownish color of the Hudson River is from sediment and debris and not from pollution. There is actually plenty of wildlife that thrive and the sediment provides nutrients for the fish. I realized that there is a massive lack of education that the public has on climate change and the environment. Over the course of this program my perception of the Hudson River was changed. I was able to achieve a better understanding of one of the most important geographical features in New York, the Hudson River.

During this program we also learned about how climate change is impacting the entirety of New York State. We experimented with different software that predict how climate change can impact different economies in New York. One thing that shocked me was finding that Stony Point would be most impacted in Rockland County. As a resident of Stony Point, I felt that this should be more widely known. With rising sea levels and an increase in flooding, many homes and businesses will be destroyed. The lack of knowledge of this in my town shocked me. I began to wonder if there is this lack of knowledge about climate change all throughout the United States. This is a huge problem considering the impact of the climate and the rate of climate change. If people do not even know the impact of climate change, how will they know how to prevent it?

I constantly find myself talking about climate change to my friends and family. I want to spread as much knowledge to avoid misconceptions. After speaking with a science communicator during my internship, I learned the methods she uses to make scientific posters and exhibits. This helped me learn how to spread information about the Hudson River to my peers and the public. In learning how to do this, it can enable me to spread more information about climate change and the importance of the Hudson River.

If people don’t start to take action to combat climate change, extreme wildfires like the ones that occurred in Canada could become more common. Little things can be done such as recycling, using more public transportation, or even spreading awareness about the severity of climate change. We want to make sure that we can provide a beautiful Earth to future generations and there is only one Earth so we should try our best to keep it safe.