COVID-19 and the Environment
A Three Part Series

What are we learning about our relationship with Earth during COVID-19?
Wednesday, May 13, 3–4 p.m.

As we adjust to the new normal of social isolating, the natural environment is getting a break from the old-normal stresses we place on our planet. The science shows our air is cleaner and water is clearer. What does this mean in the long run; is it possible to restore Earth’s natural systems? Join us for a free, virtual discussion on Zoom with Academy scientists as we grapple with the environmental messages of the pandemic.

Featuring:

• Roland Wall, Director, Patrick Center for Environmental Research 
• Marie Kurz, PhD, Geochemistry Section Lead, Patrick Center for Environmental Research; Assistant Professor, Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science
• Mariangeles Arce H., PhD, Collection Manager, Ichthyology

Why is Covid-19 disproportionately impacting environmental justice communities?

For over 30 years the environmental justice movement has been fighting the disproportionate risks that pollution poses to low-income populations and communities of color. Now we know that the impacts of COVID-19 are also unequally distributed, with infection and fatality rates higher among communities with higher environmental stresses. Join us for a free, virtual discussion on Zoom with Academy experts and advocates as we examine the connections between the pandemic and environmental justice.

Moderator: Alexis Schulman, Dolan Fellow, the Academy’s Patrick Center for Environmental Research; Assistant Professor, Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science

Panel: 

• Saleem Chapman, Deputy Director of the Philadelphia Office of Sustainability
• Lubna Ahmed, Director of Environmental Health at WE ACT for Environmental Justice in NYC
• Russel Zerbo, Advocate at the Clean Air Council

What role does science play in public policy and social action during Covid-19?

The pandemic has highlighted questions in how science is used to guide public policy and social action similar to those raised around climate change. Both COVID-19 and climate change require credible scientific understanding and interpretation; both rely on models to predict the future; both force public decision-making in the face of uncertainty; and both have become politically polarizing. Join us for a free, virtual discussion on Zoom with experts about managing the challenges of science-driven public policy.  

Moderator:  Roland Wall, Director, Patrick Center for Environmental Research, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University

Panel: 

• Carol Collier, FAICP, FAWRA, Senior Advisor for Watershed Management and Policy, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
• Jerry Fagliano, MPH, Ph.D., Associate Clinical Professor and Chair, Environmental and Occupational Health, Drexel University
• Peter DeCarlo, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
• David Velinsky, Ph.D., VP for Science, Academy of Natural Sciences, Chair, Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, Drexel University

Past Events:

What happened at the latest United Nations Climate Change Conference?
Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Academy Conversation: What happens if federal regulations protecting clean water are scaled back?
January 8, 2019