Environmental advocate, explorer, researcher, humanitarian, storyteller, director, poet, and peacebuilder, Katie Conlon, Ph.D., is carrying Flag #32 on her expedition, “The Third Pole: Because It Might Not Be There.” The Third Pole is an ambitious climate project on foot and bike, across some of the most challenging high-altitude terrain in the world, to document the rapid environmental changes happening at the water towers of the world, the Himalayas. Two billion people and countless species depend directly on the watersheds of the Himalayas, this region is critical for the health and vitality of the planet. 

The Third Pole research and storytelling expedition highlights first-person narratives with indigenous and other local leaders about their experiences with glacial melt, cloudburst, water insecurities, changing biodiversity, and other real-time climate impacts. The aim of the research from this expedition is to highlight potential ways forward for regional and global climate resilience. The project will create a wealth of documentation including a film, podcast, storymap, and other social media narratives, and began in Ladakh in summer 2024.

Dr. Conlon is profoundly interested in bridging the social-ecological divide and finding ways for modern society to reconnect with nature, reducing harmful effects of disconnect such as pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. Her most recent National Geographic Explorer project examines community-led, plastic pollution reduction initiatives across the Himalayas. Conlon has worked and researched on waste and sustainability issues in Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Vietnam, Japan, Nepal, India, and the US.

Dr. Conlon became interested in global environmental justice issues as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa (Mali 2005-07; Guinea 2010-11). She saw firsthand the contradictions between Western-style progress and ecological harm, as the villages she was living in were rooted in traditional, self-sufficient livelihoods and the culture was often at odds with modern concepts of development. From these years living in Africa, Conlon carries with her deep lessons about living in harmony with the environment.

Conlon is a National Geographic Explorer (2020-), a Royal Geographical Society Fellow (2024-), a Fulbright Research Fellow (2018-19), a National Science Foundation Fellow (2014-19), and research associate with Portland State University (USA). Conlon is the Director and Founder of Ecoseva Institute, a US nonprofit that focuses on service for the earth. Conlon has a Ph.D. in Urban Studies from Portland State University (her dissertation was on plastic waste issues in the global south) (2014-2020); a Masters in International Peace Studies from Notre Dame (2012-14) (thesis on climate change and peacebuilding); and a BA from the University of San Diego in International Communications and Peace & Justice Studies (2001-2005).