Science & Society: Heat Advisory
Pioneer Works and Wellcome co-present Heat Week including this special episode of Science & Society, bringing health to the heart of Climate Week NYC.
The Earth is hotter now than at any other point in human history. As fossil fuels burn and ecosystems are destroyed, heat is driving increasingly extreme weather—turbo-charging hurricanes, floods, fires, and droughts. By 2070, one-fifth of the planet could be as scorchingly hot as the (rapidly expanding) Sahara Desert, and up to 3.5 billion people may have to move as their homes become inhospitable.
Extreme heat is a public health threat that leads to school closures, workplace injuries, droughts, famine, mental health crises, and increased domestic violence. In the United States, heat stress is the leading cause of weather-related deaths—killing more people than hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods combined. Those among us with the fewest resources are disproportionally affected—specifically, people of color, low-income people, children, and the elderly.
Put simply, we now live in an entirely new climate era—one that is hotter and more unpredictable—and we are inadequately prepared for the unavoidable consequences. Heat-related illnesses and deaths are largely preventable with proper planning, education, and action. So, how do we make our homes, neighborhoods, and cities cooler? How do we design and build for the future, with heat adaptation and risk prevention in mind? How do we care for our vulnerable populations? How do we craft policies to advance climate solutions and human well-being?
For a conversation grappling with how we might adapt to and live in a warming world, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson will host journalist and writer Jeff Goodell and climate resilience expert Jainey Bavishi for Science & Society: Heat Advisory. Brad Einstein will offer a comedic introduction (with puppets).
Come early and stick around to explore further into the thoughts and questions surrounding heat and health with our guest specialists who will be roving, available to engage and offer insight: renowned climate modeler and Goddard Institute of Space Studies Director Dr. Gavin Schmidt, historian of urban and environmental history Dr. Kara Schlichting, and evolutionary ecologist Dr. Sarah Gignoux Wolfsohn.
Before and after the conversation, DJ Mamoudou will bring the heat to the dancefloor. On the first floor, visuals will be on view by OceanX, a global nonprofit working to unlock the ocean's sustainable potential—to benefit both people and the planet. On the second floor, The Climate Story Project—an initiative of The New York Climate Exchange—invites you to listen to personal, pre-recorded stories about climate change and to record your own. 10-minute time slots will be available throughout the evening. In the garden, stargazing with the Amateur Astronomers’ Association will open and conclude the night, weather-permitting. All evening, For All Things Good will be serving up fresh Mexican food.
Our signature series Science & Society grapples with our relationships with nature and each other. Each leads us deep into humanity’s timely and intersectional challenges, from biodiversity to plastics, public knowledge, the high seas, farming, climate, and love.
About the Speakers
Jainey Bavishi is a nationally recognized expert in climate resilience. She most recently served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Deputy Administrator of NOAA. Previously, she directed the NYC Mayor’s Office of Resiliency, advancing strategies to address extreme heat and coastal flooding. She has also held senior roles in the Obama administration and international and nonprofit settings.
Jeff Goodell’s most recent book is the New York Times bestseller The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet. It was named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, The Economist, and the Los Angeles Times. It was also nominated for the LA Times Book Prize and the New York Public Library’s Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism. Goodell is the author of six previous books. He has covered climate change for more than two decades at Rolling Stone.
Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, and writer. She is co-founder of the nonprofit think tank Urban Ocean Lab, a distinguished scholar at Bowdoin College, and the author of The New York Times bestseller What If We Get it Right?: Visions of Climate Futures. She is in love with climate solutions.
Cultural Enhancement Personnel
DJ Mamoudou (Mamoudou N'Diaye) is a Mauritanian/Malian-American comedian, TV/film writer, filmmaker, creative consultant, DJ, and former 7th-grade teacher. N'Diaye has been a correspondent for digital media companies, a creative comedy consultant for social justice nonprofits.
Brad Einstein is a comedian and writer, a two-time National Park Service Artist-In-Residence, a National Forest Service Voice of the Wilderness, and a "Brilliant Comedy Mastermind" according to some very kind exaggerators at Time Out New York. Originally from Pennsylvania and now based in LA, Brad's work focuses on comedy nature documentaries and climate communications.
About Wellcome
Wellcome is a global charitable foundation, based in the UK, that supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. Wellcome supports discovery research into life, health, and wellbeing, and is taking on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease, and climate and health.
At Climate Week NYC, Wellcome is creating opportunities for people to explore what they think and feel about climate and health. In partnership with the creative and cultural sectors, they are sharing insights into science and health in ways that are meaningful and accessible to all.