“We have family back in Asia who are disproportionately affected by climate change incidents, whether it be through flooding, drought or more severe typhoons,” Lee says.

Asia and the Pacific Islands remain among the most disaster-prone regions of the globe, largely due to the accelerating effects of climate change. The region is warming faster than the global average and faces a rising number of extreme weather events, including floods, heatwaves and droughts, according to a 2024 report by the World Meteorological Organization.

For international or Asian American students with families halfway across the world, living in America can feel like a bubble, sheltered and isolated from the major environmental issues affecting their loved ones.

“We have the privilege of having some resources at hand that might not necessarily be there in Korea,” Lee says.

For students with international ties, the effects of climate change can feel especially personal. Lee’s family lives in Busan, where typhoons are becoming increasingly frequent and intense.

Islands and peninsulas across the Pacific Ocean are also experiencing some of the most visible effects of climate change. Rising sea levels are contributing to coastal erosion and threatening infrastructure. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2023, ocean acidity could increase by 100% to 150% if humans continue to emit high levels of greenhouse gases, posing a severe threat to marine ecosystems.

For Weinberg third-year Brandon Takahashi, that threat is personal. At age 7, he saw his first sea turtle while snorkeling in Hawai’i, a memory which sparked his passion for the natural world and shaped his commitment to environmental protection. Today, Hawai’i’s coral reefs suffer from ocean warming, which has reduced algae populations and led to widespread coral bleaching.

Takahashi, an environmental sciences major, is now co-president of the Northwestern Energy and Sustainability Club and spent last summer at Stanford conducting research on tide pools. He hopes to be part of the solution to climate change as it continues to reshape the world that first inspired him.

“It’s about protecting these places, but also the people that use them, and also making sure that we’re not exhausting these places to the point they won’t go back,” Takahashi says.

In many of Asia’s developing regions, countries face a dual challenge: They are not only vulnerable to climate change, but they must also grow their economies in cleaner and more sustainable ways.

Like much of Southeast Asia, Cambodia is feeling the brunt of climate change. Typhoons, floods and other natural disasters are becoming more frequent, disrupting daily life and commercial activity. A 2018 report by the International Monetary Fund estimates that more than 640 million people in Southeast Asia are vulnerable to rising sea levels and climate-related hazards.

Still, climate advocacy in the country can be risky. In July, 10 activists affiliated with the environmental group Mother Nature Cambodia were convicted for allegedly “plotting” and “insulting the king” after advocating for clean water and protesting river pollution, per Amnesty International in 2024.

Weinberg second-year Angely Rose, who is originally from Cambodia, says her government is falling behind in engaging youth.

“There are whole departments that are working on this, but I think the issue is that there’s not exactly actionable steps to go along with the policy or ways to actually engage citizens,” Rose says.

Rose founded the Cambodia Youth Climate Change program during her senior year of high school. The initiative focuses on climate education, recruiting 50 students annually for a three-month program that includes regular workshops and sessions with climate experts.

“I just felt like young people in Cambodia in general does not really have a voice to make systematic change or even come together,” Rose says.

At each program’s conclusion, students present capstone projects at a public exhibition, where they can meet and network with organizations and professionals in the climate field.

Cambodia’s economy depends heavily on agriculture. Climate shifts, including heat waves, droughts and rising air pollution have directly impacted farmers and fishers, Rose says.

“I don’t witness anything firsthand, but that’s a privilege,” she says. “Because for people who are impacted there are definitely people who make their living by depending on the environment.”

The effects of climate change also spill into culture. Rose says changes in the weather cycle have affected Cambodia’s Water Festival, or Bon Om Touk. This three-day national holiday marks the end of the rainy season, symbolizing renewal and prosperity. In recent years, the holiday has instead been marked by hot, dry weather, she says.

In the wider context of climate issues, Rose says environmental justice is important.

“It’s about protecting these places, but also the people that use them, and also making sure that we’re not exhausting these places to the point they won’t go back.”

— Brandon Takahashi, Weinberg third-year

Big corporations and rich, industrialized countries do the most harm, but they suffer the least because they can afford resilient infrastructure, she adds.

Similarly, Takahashi is working to break down barriers in the environmental field at Northwestern, where he has noticed a significant lack of diversity in environmental and earth sciences.

As a member of the environmental sciences department’s student advisory board, Takahashi launched a speaker series last fall that brings alumni of color to campus to share their experiences studying and working in the field.

“We need to make sure the people that are most likely to be affected have a voice in what’s going on,” he says.

Rose acknowledges that climate change can seem like an overwhelming and massive issue, leaving people feeling helpless or numb in the face of staggering statistics. However, she believes first- hand accounts are powerful tools in showcasing how climate change will manifest in concrete ways.

At its core, climate change is a deeply complex problem that touches everyone in some way, Takahashi says. Despite recent political shifts and uncertainty, he remains hopeful.

“Just seeing how many people at Northwestern are engaged with this kind of work and so many different fields of it, I’ve become a little more optimistic,” Takahashi says.