“we were kind of bored in the beginning,” juan carlos says. “back in those years the trails weren’t paved. you had to walk across lava rocks to go anywhere so we always came home with bruises and injuries on our knees.” 

earlier in his childhood, juan carlos grew up in the vibrant cloud forests of mainland ecuador. the region is considered one of the single richest biological hotspots on the planet. juan carlos could recall walking through the forest spotting a seemingly endless number of colorful birds, monkeys, and armadillos. when he moved to the galápagos islands, all he could see in the surrounding highlands of santa cruz island were just some dark colored finches. little did juan carlos know at the time that these very same finches helped charles darwin produce his theory of evolution, which changed the way in how we all understand the natural world. 

even darwin shared similar thoughts when he first landed on the galapagos 154 years before juan carlos: “nothing could be less inviting than the first appearance. a broken field of black basaltic lava, thrown into the most rugged waves, and crossed by great fissures, is everywhere covered by stunted, sun-burnt brushwood, which shows little signs of life.” 

juan carlos recalled the moment when he changed his mind about life on the enchanted islands after seeing a giant tortoise for the first time. “i couldn’t believe these big things could walk! when we were kids, there were no tvs and no electricity, so we would just get close to the giant tortoises and watch them for hours!”

as a kid growing up on the galápagos islands, juan carlos didn’t have the same access to what the tourists would see. that all changed when he won a voyage on a ship in high school to visit several other islands. 

“everything was different to me, beginning with the rocks,” he says. before his famed voyage on the h.m.s. beagle, darwin was a disinterested medical student who later found his pathway into naturalism through geology. darwin, too, made careful observations about the geological differences within the galápagos islands.

“when i arrived at north seymour island for the first time, i started to compare how it was different from santa cruz,” juan carlos says. there, he could see vast colonies of frigate birds with their characteristic red pouches, blue-footed boobies engaged in courtship rituals, and land iguanas scattered across the decorative landscape. 

“i was like, ‘oh my god! everything is so different from santa cruz!’”

as juan carlos continued his journey to the islands of espanola and floreana, he started to learn more about the human history of the galápagos. well before juan carlos’s family, and even before darwin himself arrived, many pirates, whalers, and naturalists paid the archipelago a visit. “they paved the road for people like my family to eventually come and do farming,” says juan carlos, who also now owns a farm on santa cruz island, like his father before him. 

after graduating high school, juan carlos was set on becoming a mechanical engineer on a boat, before stumbling on an opportunity to become a naturalist guide. “once i became a naturalist, i realized this is what i wanted to do (with my life),” he says. 

juan carlos has now been a naturalist guide with lindblad expeditions for 16 years. as the expedition leader aboard the national geographic endeavour ii, he enjoys working for a company like lindblad that is deeply and actively involved in the conservation of the islands. “it’s not like we just operate here, bring visitors, take photographs and then they go away. it is about bringing visitors who would like to do something to preserve these natural places,” he says. “they want to be a part of long-lasting change, and that’s what i like about this company. that is why i am here.”  

to juan carlos, the job of a naturalist has changed a lot since the days of darwin. “back in those years of exploration, during the time of darwin, a naturalist would catch and shoot animals, do taxidermy, and sell their specimens to museums and universities as a type of business,” he says. 

today, a naturalist must be a permanent resident on the galápagos islands. they no longer catch and kill animals; instead, they must keep visitors from disturbing them. “today, the connotation of a naturalist is something different. they must be somebody who knows a lot about nature, biology, and geology. they must embody the spirit of conservation and be good at passing down the messages and concepts of natural history,” juan carlos says.  

while the galápagos islands face several threats like climate change and invasive species, naturalists like juan carlos are working hard to ensure their home can continue to inspire future generations who wish to visit and conserve these enchanted islands. 

“we tend to undervalue our public spaces until we really need them,” bejjani said.

public spaces are becoming symbolic images of the crisis as the nation stays indoors. while many businesses have shut their doors, public green spaces are now the go-to place for many seeking refuge from their indoor routines.

“utilizing green spaces during times of crises and empathizing with others attempting to cope, even at a distance, could provide a feeling of community and comfort,” explained christina baum, a masters of public health student from the university of arizona who works with the pima county planning division.

“i do hope that as people become more desperate for the outdoors and physical activity, the value of green spaces for all community members will be recognized,” baum said. “many people seem to be hesitant about getting outdoors and exercising in public spaces because it’s unfamiliar to them, but this pandemic has been pushing people to engage in new activities.”

in parts of the country like tucson, arizona, people are starting to take advantage of clear skies and warm temperatures. tucson is home to 128 parks and 131 miles of paved bikeways to connect community members with the outdoors.

these green public spaces have seen an uptick in usage as residents were ordered to remain at home and engage in social distancing. 

“i believe that these trying times are shedding light on peoples’ desire to access public spaces,” said julian griffee, climate adaptation planning outreach assistant to the city of tucson and urban planning graduate student from the university of arizona.

“i’m interested to see if the public will continue to adopt new habits like cycling and walking outdoors once the pandemic begins to calm down,” griffee said. “will we start to see cities across the nation promote and invest in public spaces and green infrastructure?”

in 2018, voters approved a $225 million bond package  to improve park amenities, a sign that the tucson community is committed to investing more in green spaces for public use.

“public spaces like parks and bike pathways serve important contributions to our community’s public health by promoting healthy outcomes and reducing the number of injuries and fatalities associated with automobile incidents,” griffee said. “but these green spaces also serve an important function in our fight to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.”

cities like tucson are challenged by the onset of rising temperatures and the urban heat island effect. increased concentrations of buildings and pavement absorb and retain heat that increase an urban environment’s energy costs, air pollution levels, and heat-related illness and mortality.

urban mitigation and adaptation efforts to “green” public spaces are enabling residents to make more sustainable choices for their health and built environment.

“i think the pandemic is showing how adaptable we all can be,” baum said. “i hope that some of the changes we are making today will empower us with skills and confidence to continue making those changes once it is over.”

countries like kenya will need to reimagine their food systems to feed a growing urban population with fewer farmers. as food security concerns grow for the city of nairobi, farmers like francis wachira are transforming urban lots into highly productive green spaces to raise livestock, grow vegetables, and fight climate change. cities like nairobi will depend on urban farmers like francis to produce sustainable food systems to confront this growing food security crisis.

francis dreams of a world where more urban residents produce their own food to escape poverty and fight climate change. will others adopt his model of urban farming to feed the future of nairobi? learn from francis and see how urban farming can help 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网 .

rothers, like millions of others across the globe, attended last month’s climate strike along with her children and members of her all gender, secular family scouting organization. the navigators typically organize camping trips and engage in community service work, however, they decided it was important to participate in this year’s climate march in tucson, arizona. 

“i thought it was important enough to let my kids know [climate change] is going on in the world” explained rothers. 

parents like rothers are starting to realize that trash pick-ups and recycling are not enough. while the previous generation was told that they can help protect the environment by picking up after yourself, today’s youth were born into a planet in crisis that is seemingly overwhelming to manage. 

“i don’t want my children to be terrified of their future. i want them to be aware,” rothers said

that’s why rothers decided to bring her two children, veronica and oliver, to the climate march in tucson.   

youth like janet’s eight-year-old daughter veronica believe it is important to participate in events like the climate march. veronica believes protecting the planet is important because “kids in the future can have a happy life where they don’t have to worry about the world’s climate changing.” 

oliver, veronica’s 10-year-old brother, believes “we have a perfectly good planet and we should protect it at all costs.” 

janet rothers first had the idea of bringing her children and the navigators to the strike after watching a ted talk by 16-year-old swedish climate activist greta thurnberg, where she encouraged youth around the world to attend the climate strikes and demand climate action.

she asked oliver and veronica if they thought it would be appropriate to invite the navigators club to join, to which oliver said, “yes! navigators and all of (our school) should go!”

“i would rather have a chance of doing something to help than to not do anything” oliver explained.

“many parents thanked us for doing this,” rothers said. 

positive word of mouth spread and classmates of oliver and veronica joined the crowd where they watched older youth armed with megaphones make demands to their city’s leaders for climate action.

to rothers, it was important to teach her kids that “they do not have to be a passive observer” in the face of this climate crisis. 

the event left a lasting impression on her children. 

oliver said he learned that, “we are stronger together.” 

“i might be able to help even though i am just one person,” veronica said.

rothers finds it frustrating that climate change doesn’t dominate the headlines every day. 

“i’d like to see a tipping point,” she said. “i’m hoping for that tipping point to happen sooner rather than later.” 

according to the guardian, youth from an estimated 185 countries made a unified and urgent demand for global action against change; time will tell whether or not this moment in history will serve as a tipping point for climate action. 

despite the challenges and pessimism, young people like veronica and oliver are starting to realize they have the power to take action against climate change if they do so together. 

“right now we are the ones who are making a difference. if no one else will take action, then we will,” said greta thunberg during the strike in new york. “we demand a safe future. is that really too much to ask?”