Our Climate Crisis: Research and Action for Change

by | Sep 25, 2020 | Blog

Blue Hills Climate Action Coalition
Our Climate Crisis: Research and Action for Change
Virtual Lecture Series

The Blue Hills Climate Action Coalition presents a virtual lecture series on the climate crisis, showcasing a diverse mix of perspectives from within the climate crisis movement. Speakers will include climate change researchers, activists, youth leaders, and social scientists covering a variety of issues related to climate change, community resilience, and grounds for action. The series will be held on Zoom; pre-registration is required to receive the link to join the video-conference.  Please pre-register for each lecture using the links below.  See videos of lectures that have already taken place at the bottom of this page.

The Blue Hills Climate Action Coalition is comprised of organizations from the communities surrounding the Blue Hills committed to working together to address the challenges of climate change in our communities.  

The Our Climate Crisis lecture series is co-sponsored by Blue Hill Observatory, Blue Hills Trailside Museum, Brookwood Community Farm, Canton Residents for a Sustainable, Equitable Future, Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Friends of the Blue Hills, Mary May Binney Wakefield Arboretum, Mass Audubon, Milton Public Library, Neponset River Watershed Association, Quincy Climate Action Network, Sustainable Milton, The Trustees of Reservations.

Climate Legislation: What’s New and What You Can Do
Thursday, January 7, 6:30 pm
Register here

Jacob Stern represents the Sierra Club on Mass Power Forward, a coalition of over 200 environmental leaders, community development organizations, clean energy businesses, faith groups, neighborhood health and safety advocates, and Massachusetts families fighting for our future.  The Massachusetts legislature runs on two-year cycles. Jacob will talk about what policies are on the table for the next two years, how the legislative process works, and what residents can do to advocate for strong climate and environmental justice legislation.
 

Videos of Previous Presentations

A Green New Deal for Boston
Watch Video

What could the Green New Deal look like at the municipal level? Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu shared her recently published 15-point plan to address climate change and the important role municipalities can play in the future of our planet.

The Changing Face of the Blue Hills: Shifting Plant Populations Past, Present, and Future
 
UMass Biology Professor Rick Kesseli discusses the habitat and biodiversity changes that have occurred in the Blue Hills over the last couple hundred years as well as current trends and impacts that are affecting the region.  You will look into the future and see where these current climate changes might be taking us.  
 

Climate Danger in the Fore River Basin
Thursday, November 12: 6:30 pm
Watch Video

A look at the connections between how local efforts to reduce the development of fossil fuel infrastructure, public health… and damage to our climate and natural open spaces like the Blue Hills.  Alice Arena is the founder and president of the Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station in Weymouth, and during this lecture, she discusses the Algonquin (Enbridge) transmission compressor station sited in the Fore River Basin.  Find out what a compressor is and does, what it means for our health and safety, and what the push for more methane distribution and use will do to our planet.

Climate Justice and Covid-19: What Can We Learn From These Intersecting Crises?
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Rebecca Herst, Director of the Sustainable Solutions Lab at UMass Boston, discusses how climate change and Covid-19 are disproportionately impacting historically marginalized communities and strategies for ensuring that our response efforts focus on the people most impacted and keep everyone safe and healthy in our changing climate.

Youth in Action on Climate: Sunrise Movement
Watch Video

What are local youth doing to address climate change? How do local actions build on a national movement to bring about a more just and sustainable economy? Join us for a discussion with local Sunrise Movement leaders to hear about their current efforts locally, statewide, and nationally. Sunrise is a Youth-led grassroots organization fighting for environmental justice and the Green New Deal. Sunrise Blue Hills is a chapter of the National Sunrise Movement and we fight for environmental justice as well as racial and social justice.

 
Photo credit: Erika Grudzinskas (Quincy)