“There's a reason magical realism was born in Colombia. It's a country where dreams and reality are conflated where, in their heads, people fly as high as Icarus. But even magical realism has its limits.” The stories we tell about ourselves and our relationship to the environment play a role in how we navigate the world around us, but so too do the stories that are told by others about us. In Jardin, Colombia - a community experiencing significant impacts of climate change - traditional methods for understanding vulnerability, while valid, tell a very particular story that tends to obscure more than it illuminates. This project leans on interview and survey data from the community combined with personal storytelling, to explore how we can better understand not only climate vulnerability, but the diverse ways in which resilience develops in social-ecological systems. This project not only serves in the development of an innovative research methodology within the environmental humanities, but an opportunity to connect the UP community with the community in Jardin through storytelling about resilience in a changing climate.
Kali Abel is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies. As a political ecologist, she studies climate change adaptation with an eye for the (often unseen) power dynamics and inequalities within complex social-ecological systems. A physical scientist by training, she now combines that background with qualitative, field-based methodology, relying on the lived-experiences and emergent questions of the communities in which she works to inform her research and her writing. She works primarily within Latin America and she calls both Portland, Oregon and Jardin, Colombia home. They both have excellent coffee and even better people.
Year: Junior
Major/minor: Environmental Policy and Ethics
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Why PRF: I am excited to be a part of "Que Más?: The Stories Behind the Stories of Climate Change" project with Dr. Kali Abel for many reasons, the main being my love for the environment and my passion for combating environmental issues. I have the pleasure of being in Dr. Abel's ENV 200 class this semester, where she briefly discussed her projects and experiences around the world, with a particular focus on Colombia. This instantly captured my attention, and I became infatuated with the cause. I am excited to learn more about how climate change affects small communities of people and what we can do to help them.
Year: Junior
Major/minor: Environmental Science/Sustainability
Hometown: Kauai, Hawaii
Why PRF: As climate becomes more unpredictable and climate anxiety grows, I feel that it is important to focus on community-based efforts to adapt to climate change. Rather than continuing to put our energy into blanket policies and greenhouse gas emission goals that have so far failed us, I want to learn more about how individuals think about their unique struggles in their community. In working on this project, I'm excited to learn what concerns people have about climate change, how they are impacted, what changes they would like to see, and how their background influences their thinking about the environment.
Year: Senior
Major/minor: Environmental Science
Hometown: Beaverton, OR
Why PRF: I am interested in working on the project “Que Mas? The Stories Behind the Stories of Climate Change” because I’m always intrigued by topics like misinformation and the misrepresentation of certain communities. I feel even more intrigued when the community being misrepresented is one that seeks to prevent harm to the environment; this defamation puts them in danger and prevents them from contributing to their cause. I’m an Environmental Science major, so of course I’m looking to mitigate this problem with a project that may include a documentary.
University of Portland
5000 N. Willamette Blvd.,
Portland, Oregon 97203-5798
503.943.8000
