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mailmanI'm an international student from Mombasa, Kenya studying Environmental Science at Cornell University. Growing up in Malawi and Kenya has really shown me the true 'offsite' impacts of climate change. In 2015, there were flash floods in northern Malawi, sweeping crops and livelihoods from the palms of poor farmers.

In 2016, there was a drought in southern Malawi which dried up the soil as well as the income for a lot of families that depend on their crops. Today, Mombasa is at risk of being under water — the thought of my parents' house being submerged because of rising sea levels scares me terribly.

These climate occurrences are not natural - they are a result of global climate change. I have come to realise how climate change disproportionately impacts those of us who contribute the least to it. Climate change is a global issue and we must act to mitigate any contribution to it — any steps taken against fossil fuels are steps closer to a more sustainable future and present.

This is what compelled me and other Cornell students to attend the Rise for Climate Jobs and Justice rally on Saturday in Lansing. The re-powering of the Cayuga power plant, not only impacts people here, but the consequences carry forward and have an impact elsewhere. Being knowledgeable about these global issues is one way we can — as a global society — work towards mitigating them. The climate has no borders and neither should the fight towards a greener planet.

Zoya Mohsin
Ithaca, NY

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