In conjunction with the 80th United Nations’ General Assembly and in the lead up to the U.N. climate talks happening this November in Belém, Brazil, experts from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) are speaking at multiple events during New York City Climate Week.
UCS will have two experts participating in Climate Week events in person, both of whom have extensive experience doing print, radio and TV interviews. UCS experts will also participate in multiple events focused on scientific integrity, climate disinformation and fossil fuel industry influence. See additional information below and keep your eyes out for our billboard in Times Square, running all day Saturday, September 20, to call out the fossil fuel industry for their decades of climate disinformation. UCS will also have a contingent of science defenders joining the Make Billionaires Pay march on September 20.
Experts:
Dr. Gretchen Goldman, President and CEO, UCS
Dr. Goldman was recently named in Bloomberg’s Green Ones to Watch list for her work as a climate champion. Under Dr. Goldman’s leadership, UCS has mobilized its network of scientists and supporters to fight back against the Trump administration’s anti-science agenda and democratic backsliding in the United States. UCS has also sought legal remedy in the courts. Find her recent blog posts here. Available for in-person interviews in NYC September 20-21.
Kate Cell, Senior Climate Campaign Manager, UCS
Kate Cell manages the UCS climate campaign’s work to achieve policies that reduce global warming emissions and increase resilience to climate change impacts. She is on the steering committee for the Climate Action Against Disinformation coalition and can also speak on approaches to reducing the spread and harms of climate disinformation via social media platforms and online search engines. Find her recent blog posts here. Available for in-person interviews in NYC September 22-25.
Events:
“The White House Effect” Film Screening and Discussion
Saturday, September 20, 5 p.m., Regal Essex Crossing Cinema 11
A documentary from directors Bonni Cohen, Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk that focuses on pivotal years in the George H.W. Bush administration when the country was waking up to the reality of global warming and Bush had pledged to use “the White House effect” to tackle it. In the film, Bush finds himself increasingly caught between his chief of staff John Sununu and industry power brokers on one side and his Environmental Protection Agency Chief Bill Reilly and climatologists on the other. As the world prepares for the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, Bush faces mounting pressure to make a decision that will change the course of history—culminating with the U.S. undermining a global agreement to set hard limits on emissions, setting the stage for the increasingly hot, dangerous, and polarized future we all now face. Discussion to follow the film screening.
Speakers:
- Dr. Gretchen T. Goldman, president and CEO, UCS
- Kristen Schlott, executive producer, “The White House Effect”
- William K. Reilly, former EPA administrator
- Moderator: Dharna Noor, fossil fuels and climate reporter, The Guardian
Solutions Dialogue on Information Integrity
Tuesday, September 23, 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m., Reading Room, Dag Hammarskjöld Library at U.N. Headquarters
The Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change, launched by Brazil, the U.N. and UNESCO, is a first-of-its-kind multilateral collaboration among states, civil society groups, academia and international organizations. Thanks to efforts undertaken by the Initiative, climate information integrity will be included in the Action Agenda for the first time at COP30 and is one of the key objectives of the conference. This event aims to increase understanding, garner support and accelerate action to implement information integrity initiatives in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Speakers at this event will include Kate Cell, senior climate campaign manager at UCS, as well as representatives from the nation of Brazil and other member states, the U.N. Department of Global Communications and UNESCO.
Strengthening Information Integrity for Climate Action
Wednesday, September 24, 3 p.m.-3:20 p.m., U.N. Media Zone
Deliberate and coordinated disinformation campaigns are hindering global progress on climate change, ranging from outright denial to greenwashing to harassment of climate scientists and activists. This session will cover the evolution of these efforts and their impact on climate action. Panelists and experts will also discuss the tools and approaches to identify and counter these tactics.
Speakers:
- Charlotte Scaddan, U.N. senior adviser on information integrity
- João Brant, government of Brazil
- Kate Cell, senior campaign manager, UCS
- Moderator: Mark Gongloff, Bloomberg Opinion editor and columnist
Danger Season and Decades of Deceit: Why We Must Hold the Fossil Fuel Industry Accountable
Thursday, September 25, 1 p.m.-2 p.m. EDT, virtual
Join UCS and speakers from the Center for Climate Integrity, Gulf South Fossil Finance Hub, and Lekeh Development Foundation (Nigeria) for a virtual discussion on a critical strategy in the fight for climate justice and a livable planet: holding the fossil fuel industry accountable.
Speakers:
- Nbani Friday Barilule, director and founder, Lekeh Development Foundation, Niger Delta, Nigeria
- Dr. Juan Declet-Barreto, bilingual senior social scientist for climate vulnerability, UCS
- Dr. Delta Merner, associate director, climate accountability campaign, UCS
- Roishetta Sibley Ozane, founder, director and CEO, Vessel Project of Louisiana; co-director, Gulf South Fossil Finance Hub
- Corey Riday-White, managing attorney, Center for Climate Integrity
- Moderator: Kathy Mulvey, director, climate accountability campaign, UCS
Additional UCS Resources and Analyses: