Some folks attack @TheBTI because we break from strict enviro dogma on topics like nuclear power, CCS.

Rather than trade barbs back/forth I'll just say as a lifelong enviro person I'm at @TheBTI because I think we're doing valuable climate/energy/ag work.

Me circa 2013, 2014:

You can either delude yourself that I'm literal scum willing to betray my lifelong enviro convictions at the drop of a hat.

Or you can just come to terms with the reality that there are passionate, committed enviro folks who happen to have different perspectives?(1)

Me in 2017:

I've been set on making climate change + enviro my life's work for the majority of the time I've been alive. Started a climate student group in 2nd yr of high school, here we are 4th yr:

(holding sign-up forms for teachers/parents to source home power from renewables) (2)

At the age where most of my peers had no idea what they wanted to do, I already had it all planned out. I wanted to major in earth science, get involved in research, and keep participating in student environmental groups. (3)

I still have my cringeworthy UPenn college essay:

Oh, I'm on a college visit to Cornell? What class to sit in on?

Climate & Global Warming. Wasn't even a question. Also Dr. Jim Hansen was lecturing that day! I took copious notes.(4)

(He supported nuclear power already by then, btw - see the note at top about 4th-gen reactors?)

Once in college, lots of my friends changed majors, switched schools. I came in as an earth science major and left with a degree in earth science. (5)

Did a metric ton of all sorts of student activism along the way.

The fracking debate in PA was huge then, still is. We had a campaign going to lobby PA politicians to support strict fracking environmental oversight. (6)

(I like keeping sentimental scraps in case you can't tell)

Lots of protest marches. Lots of tabling. Good times. (7)

Got arrested protesting the Keystone XL pipeline in March 2014. Most of the other Penn students were reluctant to risk arrest out of fear that it would end up on their permanent records.

I was gung-ho and ended up being just one of two from my uni to get arrested that day. (8)

Went on to grad school, studied the role of ocean plankton in marine carbon cycling. Went in with the goal of becoming a professor someday, but came to realize that I craved more direct, real-world impact. (9)

Even while working on dissertation research, I spent much of what little free time I had on climate activism at Duke with @DukeClimate. Helped stop a new gas plant being built on campus. Resurrected + led Duke U divestment campaign which had been inactive for a couple yrs. (10)

After a lot of hard work, learning, and writing, I finished my dissertation, defended my thesis, and graduated, eager to get out there and start doing my part to advance progress on climate change. (11)

I actually hadn't heard of @TheBTI before I applied for an open analyst position as one of sixty-five-ish fellowship and job applications I submitted after graduating.

Once I looked into their work, it became my top choice out of all of them. (12) https://thebreakthrough.org/people/seaver-wang

An enviro/climate org supporting nuclear power? (I'd been in favor since college) Coming from an activist background, Breakthrough's pragmatic point of view resonated with me, articulating and addressing some of the enviro movement's weaknesses that had bugged me for years. (13)

This decade is critical for climate action. I would not be here in this crucial time if I didn't think our work rigorously, valuably contributes to solving challenges in energy, food, climate.

Disagreement + discussion always welcome, but don't question our commitment. (14-END)