Held by the group Rethinking New Haven in the Age of Climate Change, this educational event explored the local impacts of climate change and possible solutions to mitigate it.
Neha Midera
Contributing reporter
Neha Middela, Contributing Photographer
On Saturday afternoon, New Haven community leaders, students, artists and scientists gathered at the John S. Martinez School to learn about the specific impacts of climate change on the city.
New Haven Climethon was organized by the recently formed Coalition of Climate Activists, Reimagining New Haven in the Age of Climate Change. Other organizations involved in planning the event include the City of New Haven, Sustainable CT, The Green Fund of Greater New Haven, Save the Sound, and the Arts Council of Greater New Haven. Attendees listened to presentations detailing the full range of community-based environmental activism in New Haven and participated in workshops to foster dialogue on solutions to climate challenges.
“How do we get others involved? We don’t just send out EventBrite,” said presenter Doreen Abubakar and founder of Community Place-Making Engagement Network. “We are creating a community of people who are engaged in learning about the environment…engaged in learning about climate change.”
The event began with an introduction to the social justice communication agency Narrative Project by Mercy Que, followed by a welcome address by Mayor Justin Ericker. The New Haven Climate Movement and Save the Sound organizers discussed efforts to advance climate action in the region.
This was followed by a presentation by local artist Kwadwo Adae. He spoke to the public about his artwork and murals in New Haven in collaboration with the Urban Resources Initiative.
Adae endorsed the utility of community-based and collaborative environmental solutions and concluded his presentation by saying, “A rational response will save us all.”
Eleven presentations, moderated by Mauro Diaz Hernandez, climate health program administrator at the Yale Center for Climate Change and Health, cover topics such as sea level rise in New Haven, the unequal impact of climate change on communities, and change has been taken up. Impacts of climate change on local food systems and social service institutions.
Sylvia Reeves, NOAA, and Melissa Kops, CT Green Building Council, joined experts from other organizations to discuss the biophysical impacts of climate change on New Haven and the surrounding area.
John Truszynski of the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation pointed out that by 2050, sea levels in Long Island Sound will rise 20 inches due to climate change impacts. This impact means that cities such as New Haven will become particularly hot as a result of global warming.
Diaz-Hernandez asked the audience what they saw and felt as a result of climate change and invited them to join him in his presentation. Responses from attendees included the presence of new invasive vines, changes in animal migratory behavior, and changes in river patterns such as depletion of the Mill River.
A presentation by Cortney Renton, Executive Director of CitySeed, highlighted how local farmers are responding to the concurrent crises of shortages, food shortages, insecurity and climate change associated with the pandemic. Renton said climate change is creating unpredictable growing conditions, making it difficult for farmers to plan their growing cycles.
Presenters and audiences learned that outreach to the broader community is critical to developing equitable and effective solutions to mitigate climate change, which disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. emphasized.
Event organizer Jenny Medina Morris said, “The main area in Newhaven that will be affected by climate change is Fairhaven, where 60% of the population speaks Spanish.” It’s one of the few climate change-related events looking to increase
A joint presentation by Tabitha Sookdeo ENV ’23, Community Engagement Director, Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS) and Bruni Pizarro ENV ’19, Executive Director, Junta for Progressive Action, explores how climate change impacts regionally and globally. It has outlined how it creates and exacerbates social inequalities.
Scudeo cited several current global crises caused by climate change, including the humanitarian crisis in Syria, drought and food insecurity in Guatemala, and hurricanes in the Caribbean. She argued that refugees, internally displaced persons and stateless persons are “on the front lines” of climate change and that they need “systems to absorb the impacts of climate disasters”.
“It’s like housekeeping. If you don’t take care of your home, it falls apart, and if you don’t take care of the planet, it falls apart,” attendee Kay Anderson told The News. I would like to see more communication between different organizations, they should all support each other’s work, not Kawabe or Mori, but both.”
Abubakar also emphasized the importance of outreach to diverse stakeholders, especially in low-income areas.
“To make a difference, we have to be able to translate this information to everyday people,” says Abubakar. “I’m one of those grassroots humans who have to figure it out for myself. When I asked about the Connecticut estuary reserve allocation and how all the research was done, he said, I felt, “This is our time.”
The John S. Martinez School is located at 100 James Street.
