The Institute of Environmental Sustainability and the Gannon Center for Women and Leadership hosted Loyola University Chicago’s fifth annual Climate Change Conference in mid-March, with the theme Climate Change and Human Health: 21st Century Challenges. (Watch videos of this year's keynote address and panel discussions.)
Here are some important takeaways from this year’s conference:
Passing environmental legislation requires bipartisan support, which has nearly always existed in the past. Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy pointed out in her keynote address that she worked for both Republicans and Democrats during her time in the federal government, and that key Republicans have put environmental regulations in place—including Richard Nixon, who founded the EPA by executive order in 1970. So even though there is talk of lifting environmental protection laws, McCarthy reminded conference participants that it takes a long time to repeal legislation that is already working its way through the world and that our democracy has checks and balances in place, including the federal court system. This is especially true for the Clean Power Plan.
Changes happen on the grassroots level, and it is today’s younger generation that is often driving those changes. “Young people today are incredibly focused on environmental justice and social equity,” McCarthy said. “If you maintain focus we will win.” There are many ways to maintain that focus, including getting involved in local government, shopping at companies that support sustainability, and listening to the voices of the underrepresented.
Public health issues have arisen near extractive industry sites. Man-camps create an influx of displaced men and bring drug and alcohol abuse, organized crime, sexual abuse, and murder closer to Indigenous people. We must be more vigilant and listen to these voices. HolyElk Lafferty, Lakota winyan and water protector, commented, “If non-Indigenous people go missing, people will respond in the way you expect. People of color do not get that response. We have to think on our feet and develop our own initiatives to address it.”
The federal government may have withdrawn support of the Paris Climate Accord, but many American organizations are still working to move forward on the commitments of the agreement. Bob Best, sustainability lead at professional services firm JLL, said being sustainable and supporting clean and renewable energy is a sound business decision.
“We save hundreds of dollars per square foot when we incorporate sustainability in the workplace,” he said. “Everyone’s involved in the process.” Amy Jewel from the City of Chicago also discussed her work to push not just the city but also local businesses in the direction of 100 percent renewable energy. “We’re hoping to launch a renewable energy challenge for local businesses to be 100 percent renewable by 2025, 2030, or 2035.”
We can combat many climate change related deaths, and in many cases, doing so will take minimal investment. During the plenary panel, Dr. Peter Orris from Physicians for Social Responsibility pointed out that 3.3 million annual deaths worldwide are connected to outdoor pollution. With primary and secondary intervention tactics, such as policy solutions and sustainable infrastructure developments, we can tackle these problems. Issues like air and water pollution are fixable through diligence and government regulations.
In Canada, much of this transition happens on the city and state level, and many Canadian cities are reducing greenhouse gases by employing local solutions. Quebec has linked itself with California through their cap and trade system, and some of the revenue that comes from this taxation has gone to reducing the transportation sector’s environmental impact. Currently, 50 percent of the energy needed to run Alberta comes from coal-fired emissions. The Alberta government is committed to reducing these emissions by 2030 and has worked with the coal industry to shut down plants while making sure the citizens who work in those industries are not left behind.
Anthropologist Susan Crate from George Mason University reminded us that “we are all being displaced by the climate” and that very often “wars and conflict have deep roots in climate change.” As our climate changes, storms will get more powerful and situations like the one occurring in Puerto Rico will continue to happen. We must be vigilant, we must be prepared, and we must be available and willing to help each other through these tough times.
As McCarthy so emphatically stated, “don’t let anyone tell you the future isn’t yours to shape, because it is. So get out there, vote, take action, work on the grassroots level, and talk to each other.”
