The Dillard University Deep South Center for Environmental Justice will partner with the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University, in collaboration with twenty-five (25) Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and fifteen (15) community-based organizations to host the 5th Annual HBCU Climate Change Conference. The conference, to take place from March 29, 2017 through April 2, 2017, will focus on the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable and marginalized communities. Conference sessions will address racial, social, public health and economic disparities in the wake of climate related disasters, serving as a call to action for students at HBCU?s to become engaged in the conversation around climate change and climate justice. While the fact of climate change is no longer subject to dispute, students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) need opportunities to engage with researchers and scientists about the expected impacts of climate change. Eleven major international studies conducted from 1987 to 2002 all predict significant climate change-induced hazards, including increased flooding, higher mean atmospheric temperatures, higher global mean sea levels, increased precipitation, increased droughts, increased atmospheric moisture-holding capacity, increased heat waves, increased strength of storms, more energetic waves, storm surges that reach further inland, under-capacity of urban sewerage and drainage systems, increased blight, increased vulnerability of port cities, and disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged population segments. HBCU students and faculty, many of whom are from disadvantaged communities, should be exposed to the impacts climate change could have in their communities and in other population segments. Our conference intends to offer such an experience The major purpose of the conference is to (1) introduce HBCU students to climate change science, (2) engage students with Gulf Coastal communities experiencing the impacts of climate change, (3) engage students in the practice of the profession through the presentation of research findings and (4) interact with and learn from professional experts in the field. The conference also strives to create synergy between academia and vulnerable communities. This synergy is expected to be achieved through the delivery of scholarly papers and presentations based on research conducted by students, faculty, scientific researchers and other environmental professionals using data, research findings, and scientific approaches to improve the environment and/or the health and well-being of climate impacted communities in coastal regions and harbor cities. In particular, the connections established through this conference are expected to contribute to addressing chronic or emerging challenges related to climate change in coastal regions or harbor cities that can be exacerbated by offshore oil and gas operations or natural disasters. Additionally, we expect to promote cross-boundary connections and activities that extend the HBCU consortium?s existing programming to new stakeholder communities in order to foster the development of leadership and communication skills, competencies in science literacy, and capabilities such as effective collaborations, partnerships and actions involving local and global-level climate change mitigation efforts.
The aim of the proposed conference is to bring together HBCU faculty and students, researchers, climate professionals and environmental justice and coastal community residents impacted by toxic facilities and severe weather events related to climate change, in order to bridge the gap between theory and the experiential realities of climate change. To that end, conference participants will engage in the following activities during this 4 day event: (1) Panels and plenary sessions led by experts in the field; (2) Presentations, tours and interactions with Gulf Coast communities currently impacted by climate change and environmental justice communities living with toxins; (3) HBCU student panel presentations of climate change and environmental justice research projects; (4) HBCU student poster session highlighting the conduct of research projects and their findings presented to local high school students and others attending the conference. Through this conference, we expect to promote cross-boundary connections and activities that extend the HBCU consortium?s existing programming to new stakeholder communities in order to foster the development of leadership and communication skills, competencies in science literacy, and capabilities such as effective collaborations, partnerships and policy actions involving local and global-level climate change mitigation efforts in an effort to improve the public health.
The connections established through this conference are expected to contribute to addressing chronic or emerging challenges in environmental justice communities in coastal regions or harbor cities that are related to climate change which can be exacerbated by offshore oil and gas operations or natural disasters affecting the physical health of community residents. Additionally, we expect to promote cross-boundary connections and activities that extend the HBCU consortium?s existing programming to new stakeholder communities in order to foster the development of leadership and communication skills, competencies in science literacy, and capabilities such as effective collaboration and relationship building resulting in local initiatives to improve health and well-being while decreasing risks to the health and safety of community residents. Ultimately, as a result of these connections, community leaders will work with students on these initiatives with the major goal of developing policy action plans to address community identified public health concerns.
