James Young-Drew

As a lawyer and a climate-change campaigner, James chose to do a Master of Climate Change Science and Policy to develop interdisciplinary knowledge and skills.

“Everything we are learning in this programme is directly applicable to contemporary domestic and international climate change policy. These are urgent, real-world issues. “

Diverse perspectives

“The range of student perspectives in class has been one of the highlights—I have classmates from a number of different countries, with a diverse range of scientific and non-scientific backgrounds and perspectives.”

A complex issue

“There’s a lot of incredible climate-change related research and innovation happening here in New Zealand. Unfortunately, there’s a real gap between this work and widespread misunderstandings about climate change.

“It isn’t just a matter of science communication—I’m also referring to the sustainable innovations being developed by businesses and communities around the country, which could play a key role in our wider climate change response, but aren’t getting the attention they deserve.

“Part of problem is that things seem very divided—the physical scientists are doing their work over here, the social scientists are over there, communities and businesses are doing their own thing, and government policy often doesn’t fit with any of it.

“If we’re going to get to grips with climate change we need everyone working on the same page. I hope to make some contribution to making this happen.”

You can find out more about this programme by visiting the Master of Climate Change Science and Policy programme page.