Learning to communicate climate change

Learn more about the Graduate Certificate in Science and Policy of Climate Change. 

Smoke-choked summers and forests tinted red with pine beetle infestations are not just memories from a childhood in rural BC for Sonia Motisca. 

Originally from Romania, she says the same contrasts are obvious a world away too. Hotter summers, wetter winters, more volatile weather in general — unpredictability has become predictable.  

Watching the impacts of climate change within her own life sparked an interest in understanding how science, policy and people need to align, says Motisca, who recently completed the Graduate Certificate in Science and Policy of Climate Change. 

“Kids today will grow up experiencing this at a larger scale,” she says. “We need to find a way to integrate the economy with the environment. To not focus on this quarter or next fiscal — we are not going to solve the problem that way.” 

New approaches to old ideas 

With a background in political science — she holds a master’s in global environmental governance — Motisca came to Royal Roads to refresh what she knew and update her thinking on climate change.  

“I was really excited to learn and refresh that knowledge,” she says. “To see how the policy and science perspective has evolved over the last 15 years (since I was in school last).” 

From the classroom to an internship with TRIAS Lab, Motisca deepened her understanding of how policy can support — or hinder — meaningful shifts that enable climate action. The research resulted in a published paper and a better understanding of how to communicate the change needed. 

“It was just an interest before, but I didn’t have the certifications to back it up,” she says. “With this program, I feel like I do now.”  

Everyday climate change 

Graduating at Spring 2026 Convocation, Motisca talks about the value of seeing the interconnections between her prior education, this new learning, and the insights she gains in a new role at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, watching policies be debated and implemented.  

Layer onto that her work as a content marketer for clean technology companies, and she has her sights set on finding opportunities to influence environmental policy at the local level.  

A big part of addressing the global picture is how the program shifted her communication style closer to home, she says. As a writer and researcher, refining how she shares information has profound impacts on her current work and the work she wants to be doing in the future. 

“There has been a big shift in my own strategy in how to talk to people about climate change,” she says. “I approach those conversations with people in my life in a way that is more personal and tied to what they have seen in their own lives. 

“We all have examples of changes we’ve seen or felt in our local climate. It’s important for individuals, communities, companies, and governments at all levels to not only notice, but also put plans in place that help us adjust to those changes.”