NY Climate Tech: June 27 - July 4
NY Climate Tech: June 27 - July 4
Roe v. Wade and Climate Action, Green Finance, Built Environment in Dhaka and New York, and a Climate Happy Hour!
Hi all,
Many of us are still processing the latest news from SCOTUS and the new reality of the world we live in. There’s a lot we can do collectively to support reproductive justice and climate justice - and there are several resources below to get involved and make your voice heard.
Coming together as a community and continuing our great work - in ways large and small - is step one. There are several events this week, starting with the GreenFin22 Summit on sustainable finance this Tuesday and Wednesday. Next up we have two events on architecture and the built environment - with Kashef Chowdhury flying in from Dhaka, Bangladesh and sharing his experiences with us on Tuesday, and the Building Energy Exchange sharing best practices on equity and sustainability closer to home on Wednesday. Close out the week with an informal happy hour with Evergreen Action on Wednesday at a fun bar in Brooklyn!
Cheers,
Sonam and Alec
Hot Take: Reproductive Justice = Climate Justice
Fighting climate change isn’t just about stopping greenhouse gas emissions. It’s also about changing entrenched systems - primarily the way in which economic and policy decisions are made, and by whom they are made. It’s about centering on the rights of humanity at large, and understanding how each of our actions affect others and collectively building a future we want to live in.
Washington Square Park, New York. Photo by Chris Yakimov
The decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and take away reproductive rights from millions of women across this country is an assault on the rights of humanity at large. It impacts half of our society, and in particular, the lowest income groups among us who suffer from economic and environmental injustices daily. It’s in communities like that of Baytown, TX where these decisions by a politically entrenched judicial body impact the lives of those most vulnerable.
Thousands of miles from New York, Dr. Carmen Rocco, a brilliant and caring pediatrician shares stories of patients with anencephaly, a birth defect that produces babies born with an opening in the skull with the brain outside it. Baytown is lined with small factories, refineries, and barrios without clean drinking water or even septic tanks. For decades environmental groups like Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services have fought to clean up the air and water, reduce emissions, and ban toxic chemicals. The ExxonMobil refinery “emits chemicals like benzene, toluene, and xylene that cause developmental and reproductive issues in human bodies,” says the group’s outreach director, Nalleli Hidalgo.
A fire burns at an ExxonMobil plant in Baytown, Texas in 2019. Photo by Lao Chengyue, Getty Images
Those who live close to pollution centers - from oil and gas fields or traffic on roads and highways - suffer worse maternal health outcomes than those further away. The rate of maternal mortality is 2.1 times higher for the Black women who live in these communities across Texas. Given the high rates of pregnancy complications due to these environmental hazards, a lack of access to safe abortions will only exacerbate these issues.
With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, “trigger” laws will automatically ban abortion in Texas and 25 other states mostly in the South and Gulf Coast with histories of environmental injustice, discrimination, and poor access to healthcare. These are also the same places where family planning services are limited, where there is a severe lack of health insurance, and maternal health resources are abysmal. This is just one of many examples of how environmental and reproductive justice issues collide in “fenceline” communities.
The issues of reproductive justice are inseparable from climate justice. As an immigrant woman of color, I ask all the men reading this to join us in this wake up call: mobilize, speak out, and fight together with us hand in hand.
Donate to an Abortion Fund: The Yellowhammer Fund serves the Deep South, especially Alabama and Mississippi, and the Indigenous Women Rising has an abortion fund open to all Indigenous people in the US. You can also donate to Planned Parenthood, which provides sex education and reproductive care around the country.
Support Reproductive Justice Organizations: Some reproductive justice organizations doing education, advocacy, and support work include: SisterSong, the largest multi-ethnic reproductive justice collective; the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice; and the Texas-based Afiya Center, founded to assist marginalized women at risk of contracting HIV/AIDs.
Speak With Your Legislators: Pressure your local government to take legislative action to protect reproductive rights. Here’s a guide to calling your congressperson and demanding change.
By Sonam Velani
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Events This Week:
🍹 NYC Climate Happy Hour
💰 GreenFin 22
When: Tue, June 28 to Wed, June 29, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM EDT
Where: Virtual and In Person, Pier 60, Chelsea Piers, New York, NY 10011
Corporate ESG ratings are now synonymous with reduced risk and higher returns. Meanwhile, loans and bonds linked to firms’ sustainability performance are skyrocketing. But the ESG marketplace faces a lack of definitions and standards, and more than a little criticism. GreenFin 22 will convene an invitation-only audience of sustainability, finance, and investment leaders to share insights, address the key challenges and showcase leading sustainable financial products and services.
🇧🇩 Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA: Critical Response
When: Tue, June 28, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM EDT
Where: Scholastic Big Red Auditorium, 130 Mercer Street, New York, NY 10012
The spring 2022 Current Work series focuses on architectural practices designing museums, schools, and cultural centers that contend with the complex legacies of place.
Kashef Chowdhury cofounded the Dhaka-based firm URBANA in 1995 and has led the practice as solo principal since 2004. The firm’s projects span various typologies and methodologies, from climate-action initiatives to cultural, educational, sports, health, industrial, religious, and residential facilities. In its own words, the practice aims to cultivate “a contextually and socially responsible…architectural and planning response” to the twin crises of climate change and migration in Bangladesh.
🏢 Inclusive Design and Building Performance: Exploring Synergies with Equity, Sustainability, and Health in the Built Environment
When: Wed, June 29, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EDT
Where: Building Energy Exchange, 31 Chambers Street, Suite 608, New York, NY 10007
Inclusive Design can be defined as an approach to creating environments that are accessible and usable to the greatest extent possible by all building occupants. While traditional applications of Inclusive Design are importantly centered on people with disabilities and aging populations, emerging thought leaders are evolving Inclusive Design’s application to broader issues of social and environmental justice.
This session features four experts who aim to elevate Inclusive Design as the next wave in building performance by establishing synergies with equity, sustainability, and health in the built environment. Panelists will present an overview of ongoing Inclusive Design initiatives, followed by an interactive discussion with the audience around opportunities for future interdisciplinary work.
🍹 NYC Climate Happy Hour
When: Wed, June 29, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EDT
Where: Hollow Nickel, 494 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Come hang out for the June climate happy hour with people from across the climate spectrum: policy, advocacy, education, technology, and more. This is a casual get-together organized by Evergreen Action. No need to RSVP, just come for a good time!
For the Early Birds
🗽 Climate Week NYC
When: Mon, September 19 to Sunday, September 25, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM EDT
Where: Javits Center, 429 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10001
Registration for the official Climate Week NYC events program is now open across our ten event themes; Built Environment, Energy, Environmental Justice, Transport, Finance, Sustainable Living, Nature, Policy, Industry and Food.
Register to host your event today and be part of the biggest climate event on earth.
The Nest Summit: For our fourth year we are delighted to partner with The Nest Summit as our official event partner. Taking place at the Javits Center, under the largest green roof in the world, The Nest Summit brings together a program of events that explore and engage in the solutions that will allow us to make climate action happen.
Women and Climate Summit: The Women in Sustainability & Energy Series is proud to partner with the Women and Climate NYC group for a dynamic NYC Climate Week Event. The event is focused on providing a platform for women climate professionals to share their ideas and perspectives on all matters climate. From the energy transition and ESG to sustainable cities and art, we will be highlighting a group of leading women through panels, pitches, and exhibitions. All speakers will be women.