Alizé Carrère is a National Geographic Explorer researching and documenting climate change adaptation in practice. Raised in a treehouse in Ithaca, New York, her childhood primed her for a unique perspective on what it means to innovate and adapt in response to environmental changes.
After moving to Montreal to complete a B.A. at McGill University in Environmental Science and International Development, she spent time living in Panama before returning to McGill to complete an M.Sc. in Bioresource Engineering. During this time, she lived in the Middle East working on water resource management and electronic waste between Israel and Palestine. When it comes to handling unconventional experiences, Carrère is a seasoned pro. In the past, she’s trekked through the king penguin colonies of South Georgia Island, stood on the edge of a lava-spewing volcano in Vanuatu, and found herself in the middle of a Malagasy village in Madagascar during an outbreak of the bubonic plague. But unpredictability is part of her job—or jobs, rather. As an expedition leader for Lindblad Expeditions, a company that has pioneered aquatic travels for over 50 years, and a National Geographic Explorer, Carrère divides her time by traveling the world as a cultural ecologist, excursion planner, climate researcher, and bona fide adventurer. Thus far, she’s visited an impressive 37 countries, 17 in the last year alone, which naturally raises a more important question for the rest of us: How on earth does someone become an explorer? In 2012, Alizé received support from National Geographic to conduct research in Madagascar, where she spent several months uncovering an unlikely agricultural adaptation in response to severe deforestation. Learning of farmers who were turning degraded hillsides into fertile pockets of farmland, her work evolved into a greater story of creativity and resourcefulness – a fresh perspective amongst the oft-repeated narratives of climate doom. She continues to spearhead field research on innovative adaptations to climate change, and is working on a web series that highlights the remarkable resilience of the human species. Most recently, Alizé has been working with Lindblad/National Geographic Expeditions designing and leading expeditions aboard the National Geographic Orion around coastal Europe. |