A year ago, I did not really know what climate change was or how severe it had become. I only started exploring it while researching options for my future, when I came across a titled” Whoever solves climate change will become the first trillionaire.” As someone who wanted to change the world and also build a successful career, this idea was very attractive. But when I started reading more deeply, I realised climate change is not just another financial opportunity. It is a sinking ship in which every country is slowly drowning.

That realisation pushed me to apply for MSc geography pathway in Climate Change at the University of Manchester’s School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED). I never imagined myself doing a master’s in science- related field, because my background and interests were in Mass Communication and Business. That has not changed; instead, this degree helped me connect my mass communication and business interest with the Climate crisis. In each module I tried to identify the “gaps,”

and I realised that while Physical science plays a major role in understanding Climate Change, it still lacks effective communication to the public.

My degree offers a comprehensive understanding of Climate Change. It is divided into Social Science and Natural Science, but I am personally more interested in the social aspects. Subjects like Green Infrastructure and Climate emergency made me realise that communicating climate crisis effectively can help in addressing it faster, as more people understand its urgency. On the other hand, subject like Political Ecology made me question the role of business giants and governments across the world in both causing and solving this crisis. Each subject I have studied so far has made me want to work in that area. For example, green infrastructure convinced me to consider working in Urban planning while Climate emergency made me want to work in policy- making for the government.

Over time, through writing essays and doing projects, I have come to a clear conclusion: in a world shaped by capitalism, shifting towards sustainable development will require powerful mass communication about climate change, and real financial benefits, especially for the developing countries. Coming from a developing country myself, my future career plan after this degree is communicating the climate urgency in a way that feels relevant to people’s daily lives and eventually start an enterprise which finds a way for making sustainable development economically beneficial and more normal rather than luxury.

Through this degree, I am learning to connect physical changes in climate with social, political and economic realities on the ground and I see myself working in climate communication roles, either individually or with private or government agencies, where I can translate complex climate research into messages that matter to people in developing countries like India. I hope to help them mitigate or adapt to this crisis by sharing my experience and knowledge I am gaining from this course, as well as from the diverse perspectives of my classmates from other nationalities. Whatever I have learned so far in this course has made me a more critical thinker and given me the imagination to see how I help shift societies towards sustainable development.

Written by Devarsh Sanjay Joshi.

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