An interview series spotlighting global tech influencers, disruptors, visionaries, and of course, innovators.
Climate Expert Professor Laura Faye Tenenbaum, an award-winning and globally recognized innovator, regularly writes about physical science and the climate crisis. Sought for her ability to translate complex technical scientific jargon and climate science topics into language accessible to a wider audience, Tenenbaum communicates her expertise without compromising the scientific accuracy or nuance. In addition to her past role as the Senior Science Editor for NASA’s Global Climate Change website at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for a decade, Tenenbaum is an adjunct professor in the Physical Science and Oceanography Department at Glendale Community College. When solving for climate change, Tenenbaum prescribes a mindset shift, to view the climate crisis as a solvable problem that we can tackle together. In her TEDx talk she asks, “What if we saw climate change as an amazing challenge and not a burden?”
I had the pleasure connecting with Laura via email to her perspective on a variety of topics, including her role at NASA, government censorship, risk, being a “freaky bitch,” decarbonization and technology. Our interview follows.
EKMH: As the former senior science editor for NASA’s Global Climate Change website at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) you witnessed the impact of science suppression firsthand. Please share your thoughts on censorship. How can the US move forward from the former administration?
Laura Faye Tenenbaum: Government censorship of climate-change information isn’t new. It happened during the Reagan Administration and in both Bush administrations. For years, politicians, as well as coal, oil and gas companies and other moneyed interests, promoted organized disinformation campaigns.
In February 2017, just after Trump took office, JPL’s Media Relations imposed strict approval requirements on climate communication. The new policy mandated “both management and Media Relations review all posts.” Every blog, tweet or Facebook post—even something as simple as a photo of a glacier—needed to go back and forth among a manager or more often two managers, a scientist and a team from Media Relations, which meant there were times when a single post had as many as six authors and took hours or even days to publish. Anything I wrote was either banned or interminably stuck in review.
Science denial had real repercussions. The fact that Media Relations was able to insert themselves into the scientific communication approval process was in itself antithetical to science, which is supposed to be unbiased and apolitical. I felt intimidated and also dismayed by the number of co-workers who went along with the censorship. I wished more people had spoken up, but I knew that each of them had their own complex reasons for staying. The toxicity got to me. I was drinking too much and stress-crying. The deception bothered me. I lost respect for NASA, an institution that used to stand for innovation, courage, and teamwork.
Rebuilding the government and restoring the federal climate-science apparatus won’t be easy. These scientific institutions will also need to regain public trust—far too many Americans believed Trump’s lies about climate science, just as they believed his lies about COVID-19 and election fraud.
The legacy of Trumpism won’t just be denial of climate science or medical science or basic facts. The legacy of Trumpism will be the hollowing-out of respected federal agencies like NASA and the CDC and the destructive effects of these losses yet to come.
EKMH: According to economist Peter Drucker, “The greatest danger in turbulent times is not the turbulence, but to act with yesterday’s logic.” How have you pivoted and kept a steady course despite the prior administration’s systemic suppression of climate communication?
Laura Faye Tenenbaum: I’m not sure I have been able to, as you say, “keep a steady course.” I’ve been rather unsteady these last few years. I’ve been filled with anger and disappointment. The global pandemic made everything worse. What had helped me is my relationships: with my spouse and neighbors, with myself and with nature. I’ve always been inspired by young people. I also don’t believe we have the choice to give up. We must keep working to eliminate fossil fuel extraction, deforestation, and plastic pollution, no matter what.
Photo Credit: Janosch Orlowsky
EKMH: How have you benefited from failure and/or taking risks?
Laura Faye Tenenbaum: I’ve always been risk tolerant. This has allowed me to have extraordinary experiences in a variety of areas from travel, to athletics, to performance, to friendships, to career. As far as failing to stop the censorship of climate communication within NASA, the experience forced me to evaluate my goals and work harder to create a TV series about seeing the climate crisis as an opportunity to create the future we want.
EKMH: As a self-proclaimed “freaky bitch,” when reflecting upon your initial career expectations versus its actual progression, what most surprises you? Where do you see yourself in 3 years? 5 years? 10 years?
Laura Faye Tenenbaum: At NASA, my goal was to share my love of the natural world with as many people as possible by creating stories and videos that would demystify science and inspire people. I wanted to break the stereotype that only people who identify as geeks get to enjoy science and encourage everyone to celebrate his or her intellect regardless of gender or race or body type or personality type or any other factor. I envisioned a society of science lovers everywhere where people made decisions about our environment based on evidence. I believed NASA would be the perfect vehicle to accomplish this and that I’d finally be embraced by the science world. I’m surprised that the science world is as rigid as it is and that so many went along with the censorship.
I plan to keep writing essays, the TV series and working on my memoir. I expect to be back to public speaking by 2022, as soon as large meetings are possible.
EKMH: Which technologies are critical to the decarbonization tool kit? How can executives and scientists work together to solve the net-zero equation (in transportation, agriculture, power, hydrogen, and carbon capture)?
Laura Faye Tenenbaum: We must electrify industry, transportation, residential and commercial buildings, improve energy efficiency and update the power grid. We also need to invest in wind, solar, green hydrogen and hydrothermal energy.
Net-zero is sketchy in my opinion as it allows polluters to continue releasing carbon into our atmosphere. Instead, we need to change the narrative, to write a new story that we tell ourselves about who we are. We need a shift in values. We have to move away from toxic individualism, from a more-is-better, consumerism, materialism mentality and focus on peace, kindness, serenity, and health. We need to value shared community, collaboration, connection, and care: self care, care for other people and care for the environment.
EKMH: Which initial interests, experiences and/ or classes sparked your career in physical science and climate change?
Laura Faye Tenenbaum: I fell in love with sea slugs in my junior year at University of California in an Invertebrate Zoology class and that started my love for science.
EKMH: And finally, which books, films and/or podcasts top your recommended list and favorite location to enjoy them?
Laura Faye Tenenbaum: I listen to Brene Brown’s Unlocking Us podcast or Ira Glass’ This American Life while walking. My Octopus Teacher was an amazing film. I also recommend Chasing Coral. One of my all-time favorite books is Cheryl Strayed’s Tiny Beautiful Things.
*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this series are those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.
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