Mireille Linares (ELP 2003, 2024) | Ph.D. Student (Development Studies (Latin American Problems and Perspectives), Mexican Mora Research Institute; Mexico
The 55th anniversary of Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, 2025, marked over five decades of global environmental awareness, promotion of environmental education, as well as action to protect our “Mother Earth”. This day began in 1970 as a grassroots movement to address environmental issues like pollution, deforestation, and biodiversity loss. The Earth Day is a reminder of the collective responsibility to protect our planet and rouse actions like tree planting, clean-up drives, advocacy for sustainable practices or face climate crisis. It’s a celebration of progress made and a call to continue striving for a healthier, greener future (EarthDay.org, 2025, https://www.earthday.org/).
Picture: “Love your Mother Concert 2025” Times Square, New York City, April 22th, 2025. EarthDay.org,
I will always promote the celebration of Earth Day. However, in the current context of a perceptible climate crisis, with severe and escalating impacts of climate change on the planet, ecosystems, and our everyday life, besides the common knowledge that the consequences of global warming is caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, industrial activity, and other human actions, along with the United States withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, emphasizing nationalism and economic interests over international climate commitments, the question is what fuels my passion for climate action when progress feels almost lost?
It can be profoundly challenging to stay motivated when the pace of progress feels uncertain, unpromised and sluggish, especially with something as monumental as climate action.
What often fuels me in this field is the aim that even small changes ripple outward. Every project I undertake, as my current PhD research, every conversation I spark, or every mind I could inspire is part of a collective push toward a better future. This though may seem idealistic or naïve, however I might find strength in the idea that I am contributing to something greater than myself laying the groundwork for generations to come.
On occasions, cast back helps me to recognize even small wins. Perhaps a policy I supported to be implemented when I was an officer at the Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, or maybe someone changed their behavior because of my advocacy. These things, however modest, are victories.
What drives me forward -whether it's hope, love for nature, or the stories of others- might hold the key. I quire myself, is there a particular inspiration or connection that reminds me why I am still in this journey? Sometimes reconnecting with visions or others’ work I admire can be all I need to reignite my passion.
For instance, last year I had the opportunity to interview PhD Michelle Mycoo. She is Professor of Urban and Regional Planning in the Department of Geomatics Engineering and Land Management at the University of West Indies, campus Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. She was a Coordinating Lead Author for the Small Islands Chapter 15 of the Working Group II Sixth Assessment Report on Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation prepared for the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change, addressing the challenges of climate change and offering insights into adaptation and resilience for small islands (https://sta.uwi.edu/eng/professor-michelle-mycoo).
Picture: Interview with Dr. Michelle Mycoo. October 28th, 2024, Trinidad and Tobago.
By the end of that interview, Professor Mycoo told me about her family position. She said: “I am not worry about my children’s future [since I’m single with no children], but I do have a concern for my nieces, and my nephews, and my younger cousins, and the young people I lecture on campus. Those are who I’m concern about”. Well, with the same family status as she has, her vision motivates me to ask myself “what I’m doing for humanity today?”. Well, just exactly like this, I’m writing a personal story with the intention to inspire others as others inspire me.
* Mireille Linares is a phd student in Development Studies. Latin American Problems and Perspectives, at the Mexican Mora Research Institute. She holds a Master's degree in International Cooperation for Development by that same institute, and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Relations by the Mexican Center for Economic Research and Teaching, cide.