Clara Fang is a PhD candidate in environmental studies at Antioch University New England who works to empower young people and people of color in the climate movement. As Student Engagement Director for Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL), Clara oversees programs that have helped thousands of young people learn advocacy skills, organize climate action in their communities, and lobby their elected officials for fair and effective climate policies.
Since 2019, Clara has engaged in research and advocacy on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the climate movement. She is the founder of Climate Diversity, an organization transforming the climate movement through diversity and inclusion. Her year-long study will engage over 1000 climate activists in the U.S. and create a roadmap for improving diversity and equity in the climate movement. In 2020, Clara organized the Diversity and Environment webinar series in collaboration with AESS, and served on the diversity committee of AESS. She delivers workshops, seminars, and consulting on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Prior to CCL, Clara held various roles in sustainability planning and higher education. She has worked as the sustainability manager for Swarthmore College, Towson University, and the City of Albany, New York. As a co-leader of the CCL Detroit chapter, she helped representative Brenda Lawrence become a cosponsor of the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, a proposed policy that would reduce U.S. GHG emissions by 40% in 12 years. She has been an advisor to the United Nations Environment Program Youth Education Alliance, a board member of Our Climate, and served on the planning committees of AESS, AASHE, and Second Nature.
The child of political refugees, Clara immigrated to the US from China when she was nine years old. She holds a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale University, an MFA in Creative Writing from University of Utah, and a BA in English from Smith College. Her articles have been published in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Sustainability: The Journal of Record, and her letters-to–the-editor in the Detroit Free Press, the Chicago Tribune, and the New York Times. Her poems have been published in numerous journals including Painted Bride Quarterly, Tupelo Quarterly, Poet Lore, and Terrain.org. She lives in Detroit, Michigan.
Residence on Earth 