For the Peace Corps community, concerns about climate change extend far beyond our national borders. Nicaragua RPCV Jenny Lowe (pictured above) thinks often of the students and friends she worked with as an environmental education volunteer in San Juan de Limay between 2000-2002 - not long after Hurricane Mitch.
RPCV Hannah Danto says "unlike large, ecologically diverse countries, Kiribati (the island nation where she served from 2006-08) will no longer exist" if the threat of climate change is not curtailed. "Many elders tell tales of the change and destruction of their homeland, areas of the island which were once lush with trees and are now underwater...What will happen to the 90,000 natives?"
The devastating impacts go beyond climate to culture as well. So notes Peru RPCV Gregory Hochstetter who says global warming is impacting water supplies in the high plains of the Andes, where accelerated snowmelt from the mountains is impacting water supplies. "With less water these communities cannot grow and people end up moving to cities, which means a loss of their cultural identity."
Send us your climate testimonies. We are seeking 350 testimonies in advance of the October 24th International Day of Climate Action. Send us a photo of impacted people around the world, or a brief commentary on communities impacted by or taking action to combat climate change.
This is your opportunity to take a simple action to share your voice with the world. Follow this link to share your testimony today.
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