Gillian Murphy is a senior in the dual BA program with Sciences Po, and completed her first two years of university in Reims, France. Originally from Northern Virginia, Murphy spent half her life in Southeast Asia, living in Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia. Growing up in such biodiverse regions fostered her deep appreciation for nature. However, witnessing the various threats to the environment—deforestation, air pollution, increasing natural disasters—also educated her on the urgency to protect it.
At Columbia, Murphy spends her time outside the classroom exploring the parks and museums of New York City, editing articles for the Columbia Political Review, and as of this semester, as the communications director for the Student Union for Sustainable Development (SUSD).
What drew you to the sustainable development major?
In France, I became involved in environmental activism, which sparked my interest in a career in environmental policy. I studied political humanities at Sciences Po, and when I learned about Columbia’s Climate School and the sustainable development program, I thought it would be a great way to diversify my academic experience and gain some skills in STEM alongside my social science background. I wanted to realistically consider how I could spend my life working on environmentalism and have loved studying alongside such an interesting and diverse cohort of people who intend to pursue sustainability in myriad ways.
How does the program shape your understanding of sustainability?
Before I joined the program, sustainability to me was a limited term that covered “being green” and maintaining a reasonable consumption of natural resources. After a year in the program, I now consider sustainability through a much wider lens that can apply to any field. In the realm of policy, sustainability means designing flexible legislation that will evolve as our environmental issues and needs evolve. In finance, it means investing in clean energy technology and funding an equitable energy transition in non-industrialized countries. Rather than a concrete solution to the reality of finite resources on a warming planet, sustainability is a perspective that should be applied by everyone to envision how their actions can prevent harm and ensure our world is in good shape for future generations and non-humans.
A few classes particularly shaped my understanding of sustainability. Namely, Sustainability and the Meaning of Place, a travel practicum to Cuttyhunk Island in Massachusetts, which taught me to think about sustainability on a more localized level. As tempting as it is to think about how we can tackle environmental issues on a global scale, sometimes it is better and more humanizing to prioritize community-level solutions and concepts of sustainability. This also allows us to better incorporate indigenous perspectives and ensure environmental justice as we adapt to the specificity of local realities.
Tell us about your recent internship.
This past summer, I worked at the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), a nonprofit based in Washington D.C. EESI works on science-based solutions in environmental and energy policy, and is particularly focused on congressional education and public outreach. I was the development intern and every day on the job was different. For example, I drafted grant proposals, staffed briefings on Capitol Hill, researched environmental and energy policy, wrote articles about complex topics for the general public (such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism in the EU), and handled communications for donation campaigns. I found the position via an online search for “environmental internships in D.C.” and was quite motivated by EESI’s optimistic messaging and long-standing reputation as a valuable resource for policymakers. This lucky discovery ushered me into a fantastic summer of learning how nonprofits function, what the current environmental priorities of Congress are, and how best to encourage engagement with and support of environmental efforts.
What skills from the sustainable development program did you use for your internship?
The program equipped me with a strong foundation of knowledge in the sustainability space. Michael Gerrard’s Climate Change Law and Policy course at the Law School gave me a very detailed background in American legislation on the climate and environment, which was useful when attending hearings on Capitol Hill or researching funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. Much of my work also involved breaking down environmental issues into accessible language and materials that policymakers and the public could understand—an essential step of inclusivity that I learned about in my various courses relating to environmental justice.
How did the internship relate to your studies, and what do you plan to do post-graduation?
The internship gave me a glimpse into the nonprofit environmental space and convinced me that I would like to pursue that kind of work in the future. I intend to pursue a master’s degree, potentially in public policy or international affairs, with a focus on environmental policy. Post-graduation and pre-master’s, however, I hope to spend a few years gaining work experience and solidifying my interests and aspirations.
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