Leah Stokes, recognized as one of the most influential climate activists by Forbes and Time Magazine, spoke to an audience of Cornell students and faculty in the latest installment in the Cornell Center for the Social Sciences’ annual Distinguished Lecture in the Social Sciences last Thursday.

As opposed to a focus on reducing individual carbon footprints, which encourages individuals to “have the smallest impact on the Earth,” Stokes’ conception of a carbon wave emphasizes “a group of people joining together to have the biggest impact that they can have.” This theory of climate advocacy has been developed over her more than two decades working in climate advocacy.