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Extreme Heat, COVID, & Equity in New York City

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is forecasting an unusually warm summer for much of the US. In New York City, this could exacerbate heat exposure in homes, where most heat-related mortality occurs, as well as potential brownouts or blackouts due to extreme weather. Heat vulnerability in New York City has been linked to socioeconomic indicators, including household income and resident age, as well as access to air conditioning and green spaces.

What will potential heatwaves, blackouts, and brownouts mean for city residents already struggling with lack of air conditioning and limited access to green spaces? How will existing health, weather, and economic hazards be affected by new guidelines designed to reduce COVID-19 outbreaks in NYC? What are just and equitable solutions to address threats posed by extreme heat and other interdependent risks?

Join Cary Institute for a science conversation featuring Emily Nobel Maxwell, Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Cities Program in New York, Christian Braneon, a Remote Sensing Specialist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Annel Hernandez, Associate Director of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance, and Timon McPhearson, Director of the Urban Systems Lab (The New School) and a Cary Institute Senior Research Fellow.

There will be ample time for Q&A. The event is free and open to all. Registration required.

Panelists

Christian Braneon is a scientist and urban climate expert at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York. With the Urban Climate Change Research Network, Braneon leads workshops to help cities use NASA datasets to enhance climate resiliency. He serves on the steering committee for the New York City Panel on Climate Change, is a principal investigator for the GISS Climate Change Research Initiative, and co-leads the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Climate and Environmental Health Group.

Annel Hernandez is the Associate Director of the NYC  Environmental Justice Alliance. Annel works on city and statewide climate policy issues, focusing on local advocacy and research that further equitable investments in coastal resiliency, green infrastructure, and renewable energy. She also works on coalition campaigns to push for a vision of integrated climate resiliency. Previously, Annel worked with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and the Urban Climate Change Research Network at the Earth Institute. Annel is a Rachel’s Network Catalyst Awardee, and also serves on the board of BK ROT and Newtown Creek Alliance.

Emily Nobel Maxwell is the Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Cities Program in New York. Maxwell helped launch The Nature Conservancy’s North America Cities Network and is a founding member of the NYC Urban Forest Task Force and Just Nature NYC. Emily is an author of Building Capacity Through Diversity, a report that explores building the efficacy of the environmental movement through diverse partnerships and of Urban Coastal Resilience: Valuing Nature’s Role. She launched her urban environmental work playing a critical role in community garden preservation in NYC. Emily currently serves on the Advisory Board for OneNYC, NYC’s strategic plan.

Timon McPhearson is Director of The New School’s Urban Systems Lab, a Senior Research Fellow at Cary Institute, and Associate Research Fellow at the Stockholm Resilience Center. He investigates the ecology in, of, and for cities and teaches urban resilience, systems thinking, and urban ecology. McPhearson is a member of the Urban Climate Change Research Network, and the Urban Heat Island Task Force in the New York City Mayor’s Office for Recovery and Resiliency. He co-leads the National Science Foundation’s Urban Resilience to Extreme Weather-related Events Sustainability Research Network.











When: Thu., Jun. 18, 2020 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

SONY DSC

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is forecasting an unusually warm summer for much of the US. In New York City, this could exacerbate heat exposure in homes, where most heat-related mortality occurs, as well as potential brownouts or blackouts due to extreme weather. Heat vulnerability in New York City has been linked to socioeconomic indicators, including household income and resident age, as well as access to air conditioning and green spaces.

What will potential heatwaves, blackouts, and brownouts mean for city residents already struggling with lack of air conditioning and limited access to green spaces? How will existing health, weather, and economic hazards be affected by new guidelines designed to reduce COVID-19 outbreaks in NYC? What are just and equitable solutions to address threats posed by extreme heat and other interdependent risks?

Join Cary Institute for a science conversation featuring Emily Nobel Maxwell, Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Cities Program in New York, Christian Braneon, a Remote Sensing Specialist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Annel Hernandez, Associate Director of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance, and Timon McPhearson, Director of the Urban Systems Lab (The New School) and a Cary Institute Senior Research Fellow.

There will be ample time for Q&A. The event is free and open to all. Registration required.

Panelists

Christian Braneon is a scientist and urban climate expert at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York. With the Urban Climate Change Research Network, Braneon leads workshops to help cities use NASA datasets to enhance climate resiliency. He serves on the steering committee for the New York City Panel on Climate Change, is a principal investigator for the GISS Climate Change Research Initiative, and co-leads the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Climate and Environmental Health Group.

Annel Hernandez is the Associate Director of the NYC  Environmental Justice Alliance. Annel works on city and statewide climate policy issues, focusing on local advocacy and research that further equitable investments in coastal resiliency, green infrastructure, and renewable energy. She also works on coalition campaigns to push for a vision of integrated climate resiliency. Previously, Annel worked with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and the Urban Climate Change Research Network at the Earth Institute. Annel is a Rachel’s Network Catalyst Awardee, and also serves on the board of BK ROT and Newtown Creek Alliance.

Emily Nobel Maxwell is the Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Cities Program in New York. Maxwell helped launch The Nature Conservancy’s North America Cities Network and is a founding member of the NYC Urban Forest Task Force and Just Nature NYC. Emily is an author of Building Capacity Through Diversity, a report that explores building the efficacy of the environmental movement through diverse partnerships and of Urban Coastal Resilience: Valuing Nature’s Role. She launched her urban environmental work playing a critical role in community garden preservation in NYC. Emily currently serves on the Advisory Board for OneNYC, NYC’s strategic plan.

Timon McPhearson is Director of The New School’s Urban Systems Lab, a Senior Research Fellow at Cary Institute, and Associate Research Fellow at the Stockholm Resilience Center. He investigates the ecology in, of, and for cities and teaches urban resilience, systems thinking, and urban ecology. McPhearson is a member of the Urban Climate Change Research Network, and the Urban Heat Island Task Force in the New York City Mayor’s Office for Recovery and Resiliency. He co-leads the National Science Foundation’s Urban Resilience to Extreme Weather-related Events Sustainability Research Network.

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