Indecision: The many or the few...... the academy or the community

The life of a scholar is relatively simple.... teach, get published and get money (grants).    I have
done this now for more than 2 decades at Penn State and Howard University.   We are granted tenure based on service, teaching, and research.  Of these 3, research helps to keep the lights on at university and so it is highly prized.   We compete for grants and write journal articles about the work that we do.  This process is very slow, normally taking up to a year to reach to the science community and even longer if it is policy-related.

Unfortunately, we are in a world where the African and populations in its diaspora are growing fast, they receive little warning or understanding about how their communities are impacted.   For instance, thousands of deaths occurred with two tropical cyclones slamming into Mozambique in March 2019.  The biggest problem we face is the lack of data in and surrounding Africa for weather and climate and second communication with communities on how to prepare for hazards and climate change.

Image of Tropical Cyclone Idai just before landfall in Mozambique during March 2019

I know from my experience on the continent that normal people are the losers and that the university is not doing enough.  So my decision is to do less academic journals and more community-related science work.   This means breaking down new studies and data that emerge along with threats that the community may face from natural hazards.  Will it be frowned upon by my scientific peers?  Maybe, but I believe that as climate change continues to impact communities globally, the journal will be the wrong place to communicate what is happening.  We will need rapid and clear communication to the public and policymakers.   People will need to be informed about the impacts which will allow them to make better choices on adaptation.

This is the first step in that direction.  or should I turn around and race back to the ivory tower? What do you think?