Many scientists agree that climate change is one of the biggest issues facing our world today, but its effects go beyond the environment and tend to exacerbate existing social issues.

Climate Justice Month, created by the Environmental Action Club, Amnesty International and Sunrise Brookline, took place from Feb. 24 to Mar. 10. The event aimed to bring to light issues like environmental racism and the climate crisis through discussions, documentary viewings and phone banking.

Issie Kapner, president of Amnesty International and the chief organizer of the event, said that climate change has a wider impact than most people think.

“A lot of times when we think about climate change we think about polar bears dying and natural disasters, but we don’t think about the fact that climate change will only increase the disparities we have in our society,” Kapner said.

The event was split into three weeks, each with a different focus. The first week centered around a documentary about environmental justice, the second week looked at the intersectionality of the climate crisis, and the final week included a phone banking session to local representatives.

Kapner said that a large focus of the month was to teach students about the interconnectedness of the climate crisis and other movements.

“Climate Justice is talking about the intersection between the climate movement and the movement for racial justice, the movement for women’s equality, and the movement for lessening homelesness,” Kapner said. “Basically it is the idea that everything is interconnected and that you can’t fight against climate change without including people who are oppressed.”

Elizabeth Feldstein Nixon, a member of Amnesty International and Co-Coordinator of Sunrise Brookline, said that educational events like Climate Justice Month are a huge part of solving the climate crisis.

“I think the goals of Climate Justice Month were to engage the community in conversation while educating them. In my opinion, education is crucial to the climate movement,” Nixon said. “Without it, we are not going to be able to mobilize a lot of people. I think creating a space, even if that space is virtual, where people can come to learn and talk and grow together is really important.”

Organizers of the event said that it was successful and that they are already planning new campaigns to further engage and educate the community. Lili Rodgers, a member of Amnesty International and Action Team Lead of Sunrise Brookline, said that she hopes the future campaigns can feed off of the momentum from Climate Justice Month.

“I know in Amnesty we are going to be focusing on some non-climate related issues. For example, we are planning to do a gun control education campaign after this,” Rodgers said. “However, with Sunrise Brookline, we are actually launching a big campaign right now to get people to register for the town elections because there are some candidates who are going to be really important to promoting prompt climate action in Brookline.”

While the large numbers of campaigns and clubs at the high school can make it easier for average students to advocate for climate justice, Nixon said that getting involved can be as simple as just keeping up with current events.

“I would keep seeking out resources and educating yourself, whether that be with local opportunities like this Climate Justice Month or outside sources,” Nixon said. “There is a lot out there, and that can be overwhelming and daunting, but it’s also really important to take it upon oneself to learn about the climate crisis.”

Rodgers said she is hopeful that real change can be made in the future, regardless of any uncertainty people may have.

“I would say that I am hopeful for the future. I think the power of young people organizing together and pushing for change, which we see in Brookline and around the world, is powerful,” Rodgers said. “We have the power to change the future for the better.”