Editor’s note: This column was submitted to the Texan by a member of the UT community. This op-ed was originally submitted for a forum project on sustainability for spring 2022 that was never published. With permission from the author, the forum team is publishing it for this forum project. 

A while ago, I was having a conversation with a person in my area of study that I look up to. I was sharing my excitement at the fact that the University of California, after years of student activism, completely divested from the fossil fuel industry in spring 2020. This person then scoffed and told me, “To make that type of change, you need to go into politics.” This left me with the message that they believed the only people who are capable of making a difference are the ones directly involved with government — something that I, a music performance major, have no intention of pursuing.

This misconception disappointed me, as I knew through experience that it wasn’t true; in October 2021, our organization, Students Fighting Climate Change, in response to abruptly being taken off of the Presidential Student Advisory Committee’s meeting agenda to advocate for a UT climate action plan, held a demonstration and occupied the Tower. This led to administration reaching out to our board of directors, and subsequent meetings were held between SFCC and administration to further discuss our demands. Although none of my classes have anything to do with climate change, I was still empowered to be a part of the demonstration, and the impact of my participation was reaped through these meetings.

I knew that successful divestment at UC would not have been possible if not for the thousands of students who organized for years to hold their school accountable for its contributions to the climate crisis. The same is true of Fridays For Future, a youth-led climate movement begun by teenage student Greta Thunberg in 2018. FFF’s message quickly resonated around the globe, with Thunberg and other organizers being invited to speak at the UN Climate Change Conference in 2019 (COP25).

What all of these evidently impactful movements, including ours, have in common, is that they are enriched by the participation of people outside the fields of politics or science. The climate crisis is a fundamentally scientific discussion, and it is true that policy change occurs in governmental spaces. But imagine how small our movement would be if we only limited it to the domain of these two fields?

At SFCC, the way many people first notice us is by our large, hand-painted banner of an eye with the burning Earth’s reflection in it as it sheds a tear, the words “DO SOMETHING” engulfing the iris. Visual artists do not learn the same skill sets as students of politics or sustainability studies do, but they are taught to think in different ways, which leads to more avenues to connect with people. The more inclusive our movement is of all the different fields and walks of life, the more community we build and the more people we get to join us. 

We are beyond lucky to have our environmental and government students in SFCC, but I think that even they would agree that scientific and political expertise alone are not going to solve the climate crisis. The fight for climate justice is as strong as it is because it is a multicultural and multidisciplinary community. Because being passionate about the Earth is not limited to those who study it, and the consequences of climate inaction are not limited to those who perpetuate it. We must build the biggest movement possible to save our future, because this affects each and every one of us. Even if my talents mainly lie in the way I perform a J.S. Bach viola piece, I am not merely an addition to our movement; I, and my fellow artists, are an essential part of it. I hope you recognize that your involvement, whoever you are, will make an impact.

Hammersly is a music performance senior. She is on the board of directors of Students Fighting Climate Change.