Profile: Emerson McCarthy

I am Emerson McCarthy: a woman, sister, daughter, and student. A teenager trying to make a difference and spread the word on climate change and how it affects us all, not just the polar bears in the north or the heat in the south. I am a hardworking student who values her academics and school life. Attending an all-girls school, I find it vital to uplift women and make sure they are granted equal opportunities to their male counterparts. As a leader in her school's girl-up club, she works towards helping women in low- and middle-income countries. I am an avid writer, debater, and reader. I am the captain of my school's debate team and am a leader in my school's student government. I am also a writer on my school's newspaper and write about climate change to help spread awareness about the urgent issue and how to help. Through several programs, I have formulated and implemented ways to make my school and community more sustainable and eco-friendly. I love to travel and have seen many parts of the world. I love to learn about cultures of the world and how they differ from what she sees around her in the United States. Living in D.C, I have an interest in current events and what the Biden administration is doing to combat climate change.

I am incredibly passionate about making a difference both in my area and around the world. I think that even though I can make a difference and help combat climate change by myself, communicating and formulating ideas with a group of like-minded students from very different backgrounds will help change the world even quicker and more efficiently—which was why I was interested in joining the FXB Climate Advocates program. I am also very interested in ways we can implement the UN"s sustainable development solutions to help better life for all humans- not just in the U.S., but around the world. I also think that it is vital to point out climate justice: how climate change disproportionately affects different groups. Spreading the word about this issue is very very important, and being part of a group that supports that and is moving towards that goal is crucial to the difference I am trying to make.

Nadia Nazar is a college student who has made an incredible difference in the world of climate change. She is the founder of This is Zero Hour, a global nonprofit organization that moves towards helping youth activists spread the word on climate change. The reason why I chose to write about her is because of how largely she impacted me when I met her. Over the summer, I attended the Harvard Chan C- CHANGE youth summit on climate change and public health. Nadia came to speak, and what she said truly touched my heart and lit the fire in me to make a difference. She was a living example of how a teenage girl just like me can truly affect the lives of others around the world. By asking her questions like, "How did you begin your journey as a climate activist?" and "How did you grow your platform to reach all these activists around the globe?" I was able to see her journey step by step. By using social media, she was able to spread the word about protests going on in her area and helped other teens get involved. I saw how I could do these things by reaching out and stepping out of my comfort zone to reach the goal I strive to achieve. She started where I am right now—as a girl on Instagram, wanting to change the world.