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Osgoode PhD candidate Jake Okechukwu Effoduh becomes Climate Reality Leader

Osgoode PhD candidate Jake Okechukwu Effoduh is one of 90 environmentalists from Canada who recently received training from former U.S. vice-president and Nobel laureate Al Gore on mobilizing action around the issue of climate change.

Jake Okechukwu Effoduh

Over the course of three days in late August in Los Angeles, Effoduh and the group participated in training sessions to become Climate Reality Leaders who will invite their communities to act on solutions to the global climate crisis.

Effoduh’s training involved discussions on climate science, solutions to solve the climate crisis and communications techniques to rally Canadians behind those solutions. He also committed to delivering free presentations on climate change to the Osgoode and York communities and performing a variety of activities to convince students and faculty to collaborate and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

“Local communities and their elected officials have a fundamental role in the global fight against climate change,” Effoduh said. “I am looking forward to collaborating with them and rallying citizens behind ambitious greenhouse gas reduction objectives and innovative initiatives. The scientific data is clear and solutions and tools exist; it is time to act.”

A lawyer, environmentalist and activist, Effoduh holds master’s degrees in international law from the University of Oxford as well as Osgoode. Prior to studying law, he anchored two of Nigeria’s most popular radio programs, earning several local and international awards for his activism on radio. He is passionate about human rights and technology transfer mechanisms for climate change adaptation and mitigation in Africa.

The Climate Reality Project, founded by Gore, is a global network of citizens committed to the implementation of solutions to the issue of climate change. There are currently more than 900 active Climate Reality Leaders across Canada.

For more information, visit climatereality.ca or follow the project on Twitter at @Reality_Canada.