About the Author

Dr. Joni Baumgarten received her PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Her BA in Environmental Science was received from Barnard College, Columbia University.

Following the model of Dr. Max Liboiron in their introduction to “Pollution is Colonialism”, Dr. Baumgarten would like to give some context that played into the writing of this textbook. Dr. Baumgarten grew up in Philadelphia, and still lives there currently. Her extended families were farming families in Wisconsin and in Pennsylvania. Therefore, she has what might be a unique perspective of empathy for the challenging issues in both rural and urban settings. Additionally, as a soil scientist, Dr. Baumgarten studies detailed ecological communities where our understanding is limited and there are more questions than there are answers. Given all this, Dr. Baumgarten hopes that reading this textbook will help people feel grounded with a better understanding of science when they are confronted with the challenges of climate change.