The series of short, free-form texts published by the Observatory is launching its latest edition: Climate Change and Memory: The urgency of thinking about who survives after the emergency, signed by psychologist Geisa Teles da Silva. In the essay, the author addresses the importance of psychological studies of the impact of climate change on individuals and communities, with a special focus on populations affected by extreme weather events.

Master at the Graduate Programme in Psychosociology of Communities and Social Ecology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (EICOS-UFRJ) and with a degree in Psychology from the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Geisa studies topics such as whiteness, race, racism and the mental health of the indigenous and quilombola population. Her research work is particularly interested in issues related to the socio-environmental sphere, with an emphasis on the impacts of socio-environmental disasters, environmental racism and public policies.

This Commentary from the OIMC is part of the project Operation COP 2024 – Young Ambassadors for the Climate, a partnership between the Observatory, The Climate Reality Project Brazil and the Brazil Climate Centre. The initiative selected young students from various regions of Brazil and different areas of knowledge to undergo training in international politics, climate change and skills development, with an emphasis on negotiating issues with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP).