by Aiyana Kaylin Washington
In her 2019 TED Talk addressing the threat of climate change to coral reefs, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson tells a story not only of parrot fish and net entanglement, but also of herself. Once an intensely curious child fascinated by marine life, she was adamant that she’d dedicate her life to its exploration. Now, she is a marine biologist still “completely enamored with the ocean.” Dr. Johnson is not only an expert in biology and ocean science--she is also a policy expert, writer, and activist. Her early passion for oceanic studies led her to obtain a B.A. in Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where she explored multidisciplinary approaches to sustainable coral reef resource management. Dr. Johnson’s innovative international research, advocacy for scientific leadership in policy-making, and work with organizations such as the NOAA and EPA have earned her a tide of academic appraisal and accolades. Her literary work and op-eds have been featured in The New York Times and Nature, among other publications. Dr. Johnson is the founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv as well as the founder of Urban Ocean Lab, both of which advance ocean sustainability solutions and climate policy through interdisciplinary initiatives at the intersection of social justice. She recently co-created the Blue New Deal, which aims to establish oceanic restoration and protection as crucial to anticipated climate policy and solutions. Her work largely focuses on climate solutions and community-building. This mission is paramount to the All We Can Save Project--an initiative Dr. Johnson co-founded with Dr. Katherine Wilkinson as a catalyst for community-based climate leadership by women. This project, and its accompanying anthology All We Can Save, seeks to transform the current climate movement in uplifting unrepresented yet vital voices of female activists in this movement. Both the book and program work to combat a scarcity of women in political positions through financial support, community building, and educational initiatives. As people have shifted to more solitary habits and enthusiasm increased for audio entertainment, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson’s name may ring a bell for quarantined audiences, many of whom have turned to the Gimlet Media podcast “How to Save a Planet.” A co-host of the show with Alex Blumberg, which debuted in the summer of 2020, Dr. Johnson talks to an array of guests, each important to the climate movement, in order to address climate change issues and make attainable calls to action for listeners inspired to make change.
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