Tag Archives: event

Climate Week NYC 2017

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Climate Week NYC begins on Monday.

This annual global summit takes place alongside the UN General Assembly and brings together leaders from a variety of sectors, including business, government, and civil society, to discuss climate change. Organized by The Climate Group since 2009, the goal of the conference and its affiliate events is to raise awareness and keeping climate action at the top of the global agenda. This year’s event will focus on the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement and UN sustainable development goals.

Public events in support of the summit’s mission are scheduled all week around the city, from September 18-24. They range in style from panel discussions and seminars to concerts and exhibitions. For the full program of events, go to the Climate Week website.

Credit: The Climate Group

Solar Eclipse Cools NYC by Nearly 4°F

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Monday marked the first time in decades that a total solar eclipse was visible in the continental US. The path of totality was about 70 miles wide and passed through 14 states, from Oregon to South Carolina. The rest of the country, however, saw varying degrees of a partial eclipse.

Partial Solar Eclipse 2017 seen from NYC. Credit: Melissa Fleming

Here in New York City, the magnitude was only about 72%. Nonetheless, this celestial event had a noticeable impact on the local temperature. Our weather station in mid-town Manhattan showed a drop of 3.7°F as the moon briefly obscured the afternoon sun.

The next solar eclipse that will be visible from the east coast will take place on April 8, 2024. So, hold on to those eclipse viewing glasses!

The solar eclipse peaked at 2:44 PM EDT in NYC. Credit: The Weather Gamut

The Great American Solar Eclipse of 2017

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The Great American Solar Eclipse will take place on Monday, August 21. It will be the first time that a total solar eclipse has been visible anywhere in the contiguous US since 1979 and the first event of its kind to travel across the entire continent since 1918.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow on the planet’s surface. Communities that are located in the large, but lighter penumbral shadow will see a partial eclipse. Those in the smaller, but darker umbral shadow will experience a total solar eclipse. Moving across the Earth, the umbral shadow creates what is known as a path of totality.

Credit: NASA

On Monday, this path will cross through fourteen states, from Oregon to South Carolina. However, every state in the Lower 48, as well as parts of Mexico and Canada, will see some degree of a partial eclipse.

This celestial event is also expected to affect the weather across the country. As the moon briefly obscures the Sun, temperatures are forecast to drop a few degrees. This, in turn, will also cause the winds to slacken.

When viewing this historic event, do not look directly at the Sun. Doing so will cause serious eye damage. Use special eclipse viewing glasses or a method of indirect viewing, such as a pinhole projector.

Path of Totality for Solar Eclipse 2017. Credit: GreatAmericanEclipse

Panel Discussion: Art and Sustainability in the Anthropocene

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Climate change is a complex scientific subject with a plethora of data-rich reports that detail its causes and diverse impacts. Not everyone, however, responds to facts and figures or charts and graphs. That is why art, which taps into human emotion, can help create new pathways of understanding and raise awareness about this critical issue.

On Thursday, July 13, I will be discussing the intersection of art and climate change as part of a panel at the 24th International Conference of Europeanists in Glasgow, Scotland. Moderated by Julie Reiss of Christie’s Education, the panel is titled “Art and Sustainability in the Anthropocene”. My fellow panelists include Martha Schwendener (New York Times), Weiyi Chang (University of British Columbia), and Patrizia Costantin (Manchester School of Art).

This annual conference is organized by the Council for European Studies (CES), whose mission is to produce and support multidisciplinary research about Europe. They are “particularly committed to supporting research that can play a critical role in understanding and applying the lessons of European history and integration to contemporary problems, including those in the areas of global security, sustainability, environmental stewardship, and democracy.” The theme of year’s event is sustainability and transformation.

Credit: CES

New Climate Change Documentary, “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power”

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On Tuesday night, I attended a special early screening of Al Gore’s new documentary, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power. 

Credit: Paramount

Nearly a decade after the Academy Award-winning An Inconvenient Truth first hit theaters, this film focuses on the former US Vice President’s continuing mission to combat human-caused climate change. Directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, it discusses both the wide spectrum of ongoing problems caused by global warming as well as the actions being taken to tackle this critical issue, including the landmark Paris Agreement.

While progress has been made, Mr. Gore says, “it’s still not enough.” When you add that fact to the Trump Administration’s recent rollback of the Clean Power Plan and withdrawal from the Paris Accord, the film’s call to action – “Fight like your world depends on it” – feels more pertinent than ever.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power opens in theaters later this summer.

Earth Muse: Art and the Environment at the Heckscher Museum

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Nature has inspired artists for centuries, and today the subject seems more relevant than ever. In Earth Muse: Art and the Environment, an exhibition at The Heckscher Museum of Art, contemporary artists explore the natural world from a variety of perspectives.

Curated by Lisa Chalif, the exhibit offers a new experience of familiar landscapes and reflects on society’s impact on the environment. Artists include: Brandon Ballengée, Peter Beard, Alex Ferrone, Melissa Fleming, Winn Rea, Barbara Roux, and Michelle Stuart.

The show runs through July 30, 2017. For a full list of events during the course of the exhibition, including a gallery talk with some of the artists on April 30, please click here.

The Heckscher Museum of Art is located at 2 Prime Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743

Credit: The Heckscher Museum of Art

Why Earth Day Matters

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Every day is Earth Day, as the saying goes. But, today marks the official celebration.

The first Earth Day – spearheaded by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin – was held on April 22, 1970.  An estimated 20 million people attended rallies across the US to protest against rampant industrial pollution and the deterioration of the nation’s natural environment. Raising public awareness and shifting the political tide, these events helped put environmental issues on the national agenda. They led to the creation of the EPA and the passage of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

This year, with the rise of “alternative facts” and the Trump Administration’s rollback of US climate change policies, the date is more significant than ever.  In the spirit of the original event, concerned citizens across the US are gathering for marches in support of science and fact-based environmental policies.

Blue Marble 2012. Credit: NASA

 

April Marches

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April is famous for its showers, but this year it will be known for marches. After the rise of “alternative facts” and the Trump Administration’s rollback of US climate change policies, many concerned citizens will be making their voices heard at rallies this month in support of science and climate action.

The March for Science will be held on Earth Day, April 22, and the Peoples Climate March will take place the following week on April 29. The main events for both will be in Washington, DC, but satellite marches will be held in many cities across the US and around the world.

For more information, look at the links below:

Credit: March for Science and Peoples Climate Movement

Survey Says… Art Can Help Broaden the Public Conversation on Climate Change

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Art and science are two different disciplines, but it is exciting when they work together. This week, I will be presenting a poster titled “Art Can Help Broaden the Public Conversation on Climate Change” at the 105th Annual Conference of the College Art Association in New York City. This is the same presentation that I made at the Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society last month, where it received a positive response and sparked a number of interesting conversations.

Building on the qualitative aspect of my talk, “The Art and Science of Climate Change”, this poster project quantified the influence climate-art has on people’s opinions. As Lord Kelvin said, “When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it…”

Using Survey Monkey, I conducted a national poll where participants were asked comparison questions about the influence of traditional graphs vs. artistic interpretations of climate change. The graphs were sourced from the IPCC’s fifth assessment report and the artwork came from both photojournalists and conceptual artists.

When compared to a graph, the different styles of art received different reactions. On average, however, a significant number of the participants (34%) related more to the issues of climate change via art than through traditional charts and graphs. Overall, 64% of participants said art had changed the way they thought about a subject in the past.

These results show art to be a powerful tool of communication that helps to broaden the public conversation on climate change. They also highlight the fact that a variety of visual outreach methods are needed to reach the entire population on this critical issue that affects us all in one way or another.

The survey shows art can help broaden the public conversation on climate change. Credit: The Weather Gamut.

Survey Says… Art Can Help Broaden the Public Conversation on Climate Change

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The 97th Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society is taking place this week in Seattle and I will be presenting a poster titled “Art Can Help Broaden the Public Conversation on Climate Change.”

Building on my talk, The Art and Science of Climate Change, I was curious to know if climate-art was influencing people’s opinions. Therefore, moving from the qualitative to the quantitative, I conducted a national poll using Survey Monkey. Participants were asked comparison questions about the influence of traditional graphs vs. artistic interpretations of climate change. The graphs were sourced from the IPCC’s fifth assessment report and the artwork came from both photojournalists and conceptual artists.

When compared to a graph, the different styles of art received different reactions. On average, however, a significant number of the participants (34%) related more to the issues of climate change via art than through traditional charts and graphs. Overall, 64% of participants said art had changed the way they thought about a subject in the past.

These results show art to be a powerful tool of communication that helps to broaden the public conversation on climate change. They also highlight the fact that a variety of visual outreach methods are needed to reach the entire population on this critical issue that affects us all in one way or another.

Climate-Art Survey shows that art can help broaden the public conversation on climate change. Credit: The Weather Gamut.