36 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 16-22, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com FACE TO FACE The news about climate change obviously isn’t great. For Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist who has become something of an ocean and climate policy guru, that reality comes with a recurring question: How do you not give up hope? After over a decade spent studying, speaking on and identifying climate solutions, she finds herself answering that question over and over. “I feel like I’m constantly asking people not to give up. And it’s an odd role to find myself in, like a motivational speaker,” she says. “Fuck hope—what’s the strategy? Like, what are we going to do so we don’t need hope?” Her book What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures, lays out actionable strategies. Despite her prominence on stages, panels and podcasts, Johnson is increasingly trying to step away from being the focal point of such climate policy answers. Her goal right now, especially with her latest Climate Dance Party series, which has several stops across the U.S. with one at the Monterey Bay Aquarium on April 18, is simply to get the community together, grounded in joy and collective action. “Take climate change seriously,” she says, “but do not take yourself seriously.” Weekly: What made you want to start a series like this? Johnson: I was kind of just reading the room. I didn’t feel like what people really wanted from me or anyone was more panel discussions on climate change. Not to say there’s not absolute value in having those deep conversations among experts, but it just felt like everyone needs to connect with each other, be in community, get reinvigorated for the huge amount of work we have ahead of us. We all just need to boogie. Parties are underappreciated as a form of community building. There will be nonprofits at each of these events who are doing important work locally, there will be a chance for people to meet each other and find potential collaborators, you know, maybe meeting your new climate bestie on the dance floor is my dream. You invented a fish trap to reduce bycatch that won a National Geographic award. As a grad student, I was going down to Curacao as a scuba dive buddy for a friend of mine. Through that trip, I met someone who worked at the fisheries department there in the government. They were thinking about requiring these escape slots in the corners of the traps to let the juvenile and ornamental fish escape...which would help the fishery be more sustainable. But doing the research to prove it, testing out bunch of different trap designs, working with fishermen, figuring out how to design them with very easily accessible and cheap materials…It was a little bit intoxicating to have so practical a research project and have that actually support the regulations that were put into law. That really did inform the way that I thought about community engagement, science as a way to solve problems and provide useful information for decision-makers, the economics of it. What is the most under-utilized ocean-based solution right now? Offshore wind energy. But also—I’m old school—protect and restore coastal ecosystems. They are not only sponges for all this carbon, but also help to protect our shoreline from erosion, storms, sea level rise, etc. A wetland can sequester like three to five times more carbon than tropical forest, so it should get more credit. What does a climate-resilient coastal community look like in 20 years? Proactively adapting to sea level rise. There’s now an acknowledgment that it’s coming, but there’s not a lot of, “How are we going to move inland? How is that reflected in zoning and planning processes?” I think it’s very easy in the abstract, but then when the reality hits about what that means for individuals, for families, for neighborhoods, it’s much harder. Something like 13 million or more Americans are going to have to relocate because of sea level rise within the next few decades, and we just do not have a plan to manage that well. You produced a “climate variety show.” Explain. There was a magician, there were musicians. There was someone hula hooping. There was a supermodel wearing a heat pump costume—I asked her to make climate solutions sexy. There was a game show debating whether Earth or Mars was the best planet with a NASA scientist and two former Daily Show comedians, and it was extremely ridiculous and fun and, like, secretly educational. = Serious Fun In the face of climate crisis, marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson pushes for solutions—with parties. By Katie Rodriguez Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and the Monterey Bay Aquarium are hosting an after-dark evening of dancing, trivia and community in support of ocean conservation efforts. “Such an impressive history and legacy,” she says of the facility. JULIA KOKERNAK Mylo Needs a Home. Golden Oldies Cat Rescue www.gocatrescue.org 831•200•9232 Will you help him? Adopt Volunteer Foster Older Cats New Beginnings Things to love: 12 years old 10 pounds - Male - Chihuahua mix Jamesy Boy Jamesy Boy is a tiny gentleman with a gray muzzle and a heart full of love. He lives for cozy laps, slow walks, and being close to his people. 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