2019 UMD Environmental Justice and Health Disparities Symposium

Moderator: Sacoby Wilson, Associate Professor and CEEJH Lab Director, UMD School of Public Health

Panelists:
• Robert Musil, President & CEO, Rachel Carson Council
• Alaura Carter, Grassroots Coordinator, Climate Reality Project
• Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, North America Director, 350.org

The negative impacts of climate change (e.g., increases in extreme weather, flooding, sea level rise, heatwaves, resource scarcity) will befall frontline environmental justice communities. Due to this “Climate Gap,” there has been a push for more equity in climate mitigation and adaptation. The Green New Deal (GND), a congressional platform for tackling climate change, calls for a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by shifting the nation away from reliance on fossil fuels to renewable energy. It is not clear if it will address the plight of frontline environmental justice communities. In this session, panelists from the non-profit sector will provide environmental justice context to the GND and assess its true potential of achieving climate justice and equity. Does it go far enough or is it another example of trickle-down environmental policy? The panelists will debate these issues.

свернуть