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As the world has seen – and many have felt – the threat of climate change has evolved from “climate crisis” to “climate emergency”. What has become crystal clear to our global community is that we are now in a climate era. What has seemed like a distant, looming threat is more urgent than ever as the world now faces yet another crisis: COVID-19. Will this pandemic – which has exposed our cracks and pronounced weaknesses in our communities, governments and systems – teach us to act now, through proven solutions, and fortify for the crises to come?

Speakers

The Hon. Francis Suarez
Mayor, City of Miami and Commissioner, Global Commission on Adaptation

Ms. Kathy Baughman McLeod
Director & SVP, Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center Atlantic Council

Dr. Aaron Bernstein
Interim Director, The Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Pediatric Hospitalist, Boston Children’s Hospital

Moderated by

Mr. Justin Vogt
Managing Editor, Foreign Affairs

In a conversation moderated by Managing Editor of Foreign Affairs, Justin Vogt, these experts will discuss how climate change and pandemics are inextricably linked and what can be done to both prioritize pandemics prevention and also reduce the risks of climate change. Mayor Francis Suarez will discuss the practical challenges and solutions at the intersection of climate adaptation and public health in the City of Miami, along with his experience as a COVID-19 survivor, Dr. Aaron Bernstein will shed light on the medical risks posed by climate change and what it means for our security, and Kathy Baughman McLeod will discuss many resilience solutions for adapting in this climate era, from her most recent essay in Foreign Affairs’ current issue devoted to climate change, “The Fire Next Time”.

With 3 billion people predicted to be in slums and about 70% of the world’s population expected to crowd unplanned urban areas by 2050, millions being displaced by disasters every day, and our ecosystems on the brink of collapse, we can no longer look at risks to our populations and environments as mutually exclusive. As we move into an uncertain future post-COVID-19, we can be certain about solutions that can help the world adapt to climate change and prevent future pandemics.

COVID-19, like climate change, has impacted economies, food supply chains, migration, and devastated livelihoods. At the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, we focus on meeting communities where they are with actionable solutions for climate change, migration and public health so they can survive and thrive in our changing world.

The first 75 registrations will receive a free copy of the latest Foreign Affairs issue devoted to climate change, “The Fire Next Time”.