Jessica Rakotoarisoa
COP28 Youth Climate Delegate, Hydrogen Research Institute- University of Quebec in Trois-Rivieres
About
My name is Jessica Rakotoarisoa, originally from Madagascar but currently in Canada; I am part of the International Youth Climate delgates and a Ph.D candidate in social communication at the University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières. After obtaining my master’s degree in communication in Madagascar, I started a project that trains women from disadvantaged communities to manufacture bags with solar technology. Through this project, I raised awareness about climate crisis, specifically on how small sustainable projects can contribute to the energy transition and empower vulnerable communities. Then, I got the opportunity to participate in some international events, such as the 22nd COP in Marrakech in 2016. During this event, I began to observe the under-representation of women in political and scientific debates on climate issues and that encouraged me to pursue my studies. In 2017, I joined UNICEF as a communication for development officer where I helped put in place a communication strategy to encourage the participation of women and young people in the fight against climate crisis. As a Ph.D candidate, my research interests focus on ecofeminism, social justice, women’s leadership in debates and decision-making processes on energy transition and the social acceptance of projects with high socio-environmental impacts on women and girls. I study women’s social movements in which I examine more closely their advocacy strategies and collective actions which 1) Would influence social debates related to climate change and to projects with high socio-environmental impact and 2) would represent vulnerable groups that are affected by ecological inequalities. I now work as a research assistant at Québec Network on Smart Energy and Hydrogen Research Institute for projects related to the communication and the market study around green hydrogen use, but also the social acceptability of the energy transition in the agricultural and transport sectors. Finally, I have worked on literature reviews related to Impact Benefit Agreements, and the Social and Environmental Responsibility of Canada-Africa mining projects as part of a previous research collaboration.
Lastly, I am a student-member of the Research group for Political communication (GRCP), The Quebec network for women's studies (RéQEf) and the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship. I enjoy hiking, dancing, canoeing, gardening, and reading.
Speaking at
Tags
Adaptation, Carbon removals, Circular economy, Cooperation & partnerships, Education, Energy, Extreme weather, Gender, Health, Humanitarian Development, Industry, Innovation, Just transition, Modelling, Private Sector, Thematics, Transparency