Climate Impacts with Kalpana Pot
Edited by Hayley Bricker
Kalpana Pot was born in Botswana, the youngest of three girls. At a young age she showed talent for music and dance. As Kalpana grew up, she never lost that passion for performing arts. After graduating from The Ohio State University in 2012, she moved to LA to pursue her dreams of acting. She’s found success appearing in various hit TV shows and commercials, and continues to grow in the journey of life in Hollywood. Kalpana is also very active on social media- mostly Instagram (@kalpanapot). She uses her platform there to talk about the environment and animal rights, which are also the areas she spends volunteering her time on.
Climate Currents reached out to Kalpana to ask her how climate change impacts her life as an actress and activist in Los Angeles.
Q. When did you first learn about climate change?
A. I was first introduced to the concept of climate change when I was in high school- probably about my junior year. I’ve heard the term before in school in regards to how it has happened many times in Earth’s history, but climate change, as we know of it today and how it is due to human activity, was something I learned a lot about my junior year in high school when I wrote a paper on global warming.
Q. How often does climate change come up in a conversation for you?
A. I would say at least every day, between 1–2 times.
Q. Are your family & friends aware of climate change?
A. Yes they are. Luckily for me, majority of the people I surround myself with are likeminded and educated enough to realize that it’s a real threat.
Q. What emotions do you associate with climate change?
A. I would say, frustration, hopelessness, sadness, and anger.
Q. Are there any effects of climate change you immediately feel?
A. Yes- the extreme change in weather patterns, perpetual heat in the summer, and heat in places that are normally known to be colder climates.
Q. One thing I’d be curious to hear from you about is if you saw any affects of climate change during your cruise to Alaska.
A. Yes absolutely! During one of the stops, probably Juneau, we went to see a Glacier, I think the Mendenhall Glacier, and the ranger stop that was closest to it was basically a museum that had exhibits and such on the glacier itself. One of the movies they showed talked about how it formed, but most importantly, how climate change is making all glaciers melt at an unprecedented rate. And I wouldn’t be surprised because it was actually warm everywhere we went… in Alaska! Granted, I know it is summer for them also, but I can’t imagine that the level of heat they had wasn’t because of climate change. Our last few days was spent in Denali National Park at some lodges. I didn’t even want to leave the hotel during the day (which also lasts like 20 hours btw) because of the damn heat! It felt like SoCal… if not actually hotter! It is a beautiful place, but my trip actually depressed me further to realize how screwed we all really are.
Q. What is your biggest concern about climate change?
A. The fact that we are taking down many innocent casualties with us- animals and plants alike because of our carelessness. It’s just not fair.
Q. Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?
A. Unfortunately mostly pessimistic because I don’t believe change is happening fast enough to counter the damage we’ve done. And politically, we are the opposite of a candidate who should be caring about climate change. Therefore, if change won’t be happening on a national scale, then how can we counter the effects we’ve done? I know it won’t be the end of humans or all animal and plant species, but many will die (as they already have been) because of it. I think it’s human nature to hit rock bottom before enough change is made, and that’s sad.
Climate Currents is The Center For Diverse Leadership In Science’s student-created resident blog that features diverse voices throughout the environmental science community. We seek to give voices to those who are experiencing climate change and other environmental injustices firsthand. Climate Currents features the diverse perspectives and experiences of scientists working in environmental research, activists involved in stewardship, and more.
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