How is Humanitarian Relief Impacted by Climate Change? A UCSB Reads Panel Discussion

Tue, 04/07/2020 - 4:00pm
Event
Location:
Instruction & Training 1312
This event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 campus closure. 
 
Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, says the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. In fact, they report that climate-related disasters (ie. floods, storms, droughts) accounted for more than 90% of all major recorded disasters between 1998 and 2017. 
 
In the UCSB Reads 2020 book Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore, author Elizabeth Rush shares personal stories from people impacted by recent disasters such as Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Katrina and she shows how the most vulnerable people are the worst-affected by these events and least able to access resources for recovery. 
 
To further explore these issues in Rising, UCSB Library is presenting a panel discussion with four experts who will discuss how climate change is affecting their work in humanitarian relief:  
Dr. Michele Devlin (Professor of Global Public Health at University of Northern Iowa, EMT, CAN, SARTECHII)
Andrew MacCalla (Director of International Programs & Emergency Preparedness, Direct Relief)
Kerri Murray (President, ShelterBox USA)
Scott O’Connell (Regional Disaster Officer, Red Cross Pacific Coast Chapter)
Dr. Jason Prystowsky (MD, MPH) will moderate.
 
Panelists will share first-hand stories from their experience on the ground after disaster and what climate change implications mean for the future of relief efforts that focus on helping the most vulnerable people. 
 
Event is free and open to the public.