The University of Miami participated in the largest teach-in in United States history last week, which focused on global-warming solutions.
Focus the Nation occurred at more than 1,000 universities in all 50 states. The event began on Wednesday night at the Cox Science Building where Sustainable U hosted a viewing of the “2% Solution” Web cast.
Throughout Thursday morning and afternoon on the UC patio, there were panel presentations by UM faculty members on the topics of national security and global climate change, environmental history and pedagogy, sustainable architecture and urbanism, environmental decision making and sea level rise and the law.
The event concluded with a “Green Democracy” round-table discussion between students and elected leaders Thursday night.
The Environmental Decision Making panel drew approximately 60 students and community members. The panelists included College of Engineering professor Antonio Nanni, biology professor Matthew Potts, and Department of Geography and Regional Studies research associate Rinku Chowdhury.
Chowdhury emphasized that it is “unequivocal that climate change is real,” and though there are averages predicted with relation to sea level rise, the impacts will be “geographically uneven.”
A Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science professor in the audience noted that a recent report concluded that the infrastructure most at risk due to rising sea level is that of the city of Miami.
Potts stressed that the “decisions we make today will have ramifications far, far away, but there are ways to mitigate it [global warming].”
He recommended students take small steps such as taking shorter showers and not idling in the car with the air conditioning on.