In a time of uncertainty, where environmental challenges grow more complex and the future feels unpredictable, two UC Santa Cruz alumni share their insights on adapting to professional challenges while staying true to their core values.
Anna Zivian (Ph.D. ’11, environmental studies) and Joanna Nelson (Ph.D. ’11, environmental studies) bring rich perspectives forged through diverse career paths that span research, policy, and direct environmental action.
Connecting Science with Communities
Zivian's journey to environmental work began as an elected official in Colorado, where she served ten years in local government. This experience revealed the complex relationships between people, policy, and place.
"Most of our work was related to land use and planning," Zivian explains. "In a place where most lands are public, with various uses drawing on the environment—the ski area, ranching, hunting, fishing, river sports—a lot of the issues are completely related to the environment and the relationship between people and the environment."
This hands-on experience led her to pursue a deeper academic understanding at UCSC, where she focused on policy, human geography, sociology, and science and technology studies. Her research extended from the U.S. to the European Union, examining subnational food policy efforts across Italy, France, Austria, California, Hawai’i, and Oregon.
Nelson, founder of LandSea Science LLC, integrates nature, culture, land, and sea in her work as both a fire ecologist and coastal ecologist. She works with communities on wildfire resilience, coastal resilience, and many forms of nature-based climate solutions. After completing Stanford's Earth Systems program and working at a marine biological research station, she came to UCSC to study fire ecology, particularly examining human-fire interactions in the boreal forest of rural Alaska, collaborating with Indigenous people.
Impact of Changing Federal Priorities
Both researchers emphasize that today's environmental challenges—biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, and social inequity—are deeply interconnected, a perspective increasingly threatened by current political headwinds.
“[Recent cuts to federal agencies] threaten basic science, applied science, climate disaster forecasting and response—all of it,” Nelson says.
For early career environmental professionals feeling vulnerable in today's climate, Zivian and Nelson offer practical advice:
Look to local opportunities. Drawing from her research on regional approaches to environmental policy, Zivian points to state and local governments as potential bulwarks against federal rollbacks. "There are positions in subnational government, and those will still need staff," she notes, pointing to California's recent passage of a $10 billion climate bond.
Nelson agrees, highlighting initiatives like "Climate Mayors" networks, the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, and multiple networks and alliances that center equity and action, in spite of changes in federal priorities.
Consider public service. "I would encourage people to consider entering government themselves," Zivian urges. "One of the best ways of making change and ensuring that science and knowledge are considered in policy is by making that policy as an elected official. I encourage students and recent graduates to run for office."
Recognize the business case. Nelson cites a 2024 U.S. Chamber of Commerce report stating, "For every $1 spent on climate resilience, we save approximately $13 on climate damage." She frames this as a straightforward business proposition – for those who need to hear it that way – and a way to decrease suffering and loss, by working to prevent harm: "We will need the experts who know what to do, what is most effective, and how to move forward amidst rapid change. Be those experts."
Maintain perspective. "Every day we need a planet; the work doesn't stop," Nelson emphasizes.
Finding Hope Through Action
The researchers' message to students and early career professionals is clear: Despite the challenging times, the work remains essential and more important than ever.
“One of the most hopeful (even while it is depressing) points for me right now is that even before, we had a lot of work to do,” Zivian says. “The audience right now is less receptive, but it could be an opportunity to make larger change and to go deeper into the underlying factors that are causing the interconnected crises of biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, and lack of equity and justice.”
Nelson and Zivian encourage emerging professionals to build networks, seek out supportive communities, and not engage in "pre-compliance or anticipatory compliance" with policies that undermine environmental science and justice.
By embracing interdisciplinary approaches, building inclusive communities, and maintaining focus on core values, environmental scientists can continue making meaningful contributions.
Advancing Equity in Environmental Science
Zivian and Nelson are steadfast advocates for equity in conservation and environmental fields.
Zivian co-created the Roger Arliner Young (RAY) Conservation Diversity Fellowship, providing recent graduates with meaningful project-based work opportunities. The program addresses a key barrier in the field—the experience requirements that disadvantage those without established networks or financial means to take unpaid internships.
Her work with Ocean Nexus connects social scientists focused on ocean equity and justice, a network she considers increasingly vital as diversity initiatives face political headwinds. "Conventional conservation has often been complicit in creating inequities, partly because of its colonialist and exclusionary history," Zivian notes, emphasizing that effective efforts must extend beyond hiring to include robust retention strategies.
Nelson’s approach centers on supporting Indigenous land stewards by following their lead and serving as an invited collaborator: with Koyukon Athabaskan people in Alaska; working for the Amah Mutsun Land Trust as Co-Director of Stewardship; and supporting the Tule River Tribe in a conservation coalition. She recommends following Green 2.0, founded by Dr. Dorceta Taylor, to track diversity in conservation organizations – noting with concern that representation has regressed to 2020 levels – and bolster equity. Through work with 500 Women Scientists, she advocates for greater inclusion of women and gender-diverse people in STEM fields, as well as training in gender-inclusive school and work environments.
By building networks of mutual support and remaining steadfast in their commitment to evidence-based solutions, today's environmental leaders can transform political challenges into opportunities for deeper change. As Zivian and Nelson demonstrate through their own careers, the path forward may require adaptability and resilience, but the essential work of connecting science with communities continues.
