UN Climate Change: It’s Possible Podcast Episode 1 with Astronaut Dr Mae Jemison

An astronaut’s first mission is to travel to space, do research and return home safely. At UN Climate Change, we believe their second most important mission is to tell their story and inspire the vast majority of the world population who won’t have the opportunity to see and experience that extraordinary journey.

That’s why we wanted to talk firsthand with an astronaut, and not just any astronaut. American astronaut, engineer and physician Dr Mae Jemison was the first woman of colour to travel into space.

Like many children, Mae Jemison grew up dreaming that one day she would become an astronaut. Finally, on 12 September 1992, Dr Jemison would realize her dream; she travelled to space on board the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Dr. Mae Jemison astronaut
In this episode, Dr Jemison tells us about her journey before, and after that day in 1992, the same year the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted.
We talk about climate action and the need to change our view on the world from being an unlimited source of resources to be exploited to seeing it as a unique but fragile system that we are pushing to its limits to a point where it risks not being able to support our existence on Earth anymore.

Engineer and physician Dr Jemison explains what she learnt from her space experience and her work as a doctor volunteering in Sierra Leone, an engineer helping other astronauts fly safely, and more recently at the front of the 100 Years Starship initiative.

Also, in this episode, we spoke to Maestro Dirk Kaftan, General Music Director of the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn and Bonn Opera House as part of our #Art4Climate campaign. The Orchestra is the First UN Climate Change Goodwill Ambassador. Maestro Kaftan explains what an orchestra and music, in general, can do to help tackle the climate emergency.

Listen to the episode here or on your favourite podcast platform. We hope you enjoy this first episode; if so, please subscribe and share your review and rating. Help us share these stories of climate action on social media using the hashtag #ItsPossible.