As a native of the Timbuktu region in Mali, West Africa, one of the most unstable areas of the country, I have been an eyewitness to the devastating effects of climate variability and change on people’s lives. It has been affecting livelihoods, causing migration and hardship, contributing to conflict, and even impeding access to education, among the many impacts. Because of my desire to help my country, I spent my summer interning at Columbia’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN).