In the preface to All We Can Save, a collection of writings from women leading on climate in the U.S., Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson write about the many ways climate change acts as a “threat multiplier,” amplifying existing vulnerabilities and injustices that women already face. But Johnson and Wilkinson also point out: “When you’re close to the problem, you’re necessarily close to the solutions.”
And that’s exactly where we want to keep our focus: the solutions.
So this month, as our way of honoring Women’s History Month, we spent some time getting to know a number of amazing women-led organizations leading the charge in the climate justice movement. You can hear from three of them about specific solutions they’re using to advance climate justice by clicking on our blog post below.
FROM THE BLOG
Climate change is not gender neutral
Globally, the disadvantages imposed on women in the economic, political, and legal spheres make them more vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Women are still often excluded from making decisions that affect the planet and their ability to cope with environmental changes. In this blog post, we learn from three trailblazing, women-led organizations about their exciting initiatives to help address the unequal impacts of climate change. Read more >>
COFFEE CHAT
C-Solutions Faculty Associate Dr. Miriam Marlier shares her recent research and discusses ways to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration in climate adaptation research.
UPCOMING EVENTS
National Public Health Week is April 5-11
Each day will be focused on a different public health topic and the ways each of us can make a difference on that topic. The focus for Thursday, April 8 is “Galvanizing Climate Justice,” and C-Solutions will be sending a special edition to our subscribers featuring a coffee chat where we’ll talk about the point of convergence between scientific research and effective climate activism, with an opportunity to join in a public discussion thread. Watch your inbox!
You’re also invited to join the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health for a discussion session titled “Tipping the Scales on Social Justice and Health Equity” on Wednesday, April 6 at 5 PM Pacific Time. Moderated by Professor Chandra Ford, Director of the Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice & Health, the event will highlight innovative models and ideas to promote health equity and social justice that are being implemented in Los Angeles and elsewhere in the country. Click here to register.
In celebration of Earth Day: “Planetary Health: Human Well-being on a Planet Under Pressure”
Join C-Solutions and UCLA Health for a virtual lunchtime webinar presented by our newest Faculty Affiliate, Dr. Howard Frumkin, in which he’ll discuss what we can do to protect human health and well-being in the face of a changing environment. He’ll also be sharing key takeaways and findings from his latest books, Planetary Health: Protecting Nature to Protect Ourselves (Island Press, 2020), and Planetary Health: Safeguarding Human Health and the Environment in the Anthropocene (Cambridge University Press, 2021). The event is at 12 PM Pacific Time on Wednesday, April 21 (the day before Earth Day). Click here to register.
CENTER NEWS
New research paper on COVID-19 and air pollution
C-Solutions researchers Jonah Lipsitt, Jonathan Liu, Yifang Zhu, and Michael Jerrett, with other colleagues, published “Spatial analysis of COVID-19 and traffic-related air pollution in Los Angeles” in Environment International. This study investigates the relationship between air pollution and COVID-19 incidence and mortality in Los Angeles neighborhoods. Findings suggest that chronic exposure to nitrogen dioxide increases the risk of COVID-19 incidence and mortality. Higher levels of air pollution in neighborhoods with high proportions of Latinx and Black people may explain why these groups suffered disproportionately from the pandemic.
Climate Change and Human Health Spotlight: Emerging Challenges & Future Opportunities for Action
At the end of February, the National Academy of Medicine and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund hosted a virtual meeting focused on the innovative, interdisciplinary activities at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) at the intersection of climate change and human health. C-Solutions Deputy Director for Community Partnerships David Eisenman provided updates on his research on the mental health impacts of wildfires on residents and non-traditional firefighters. He also shared these findings at the March 26 meeting of the NASEM Action Collaborative on Disaster Research. You can revisit this blog post for Dr. Eisenman’s thoughts on the importance of addressing mental health in climate work.
🔥THE THIRD DEGREE🔥
Lightning trivia for non-trivial times
What is the name of the scientist who, in 1856, theorized from a simple but elegant experiment that changes in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere could affect the Earth’s temperature?
Click here for the answer.