ETH Meets You at the AAAS in Boston!
14 February 2025 - Sonia Seneviratne, ETH Zurich, Mary Berlik Rice, Harvard, Nikoosh Carlo, U.S. Arctic research Commission, and Justin Worland, TIME Magazine talk about climate extremes and their global, health, and community impacts.
A few degrees warmer and life as we know it may not exist. Scientists from North America’s Coastal, Europe’s Alpine, and Alaska’s Polar regions will illuminate some of the global impacts of extreme climate events. Participants will gain a critical insight into the costs of human-induced climate change -- from its effect on the carbon cycle to human health, as well as how Indigenous communities are contributing to climate science and policy.
In this session you will learn about...
Extreme droughts and heatwaves -- conditions long predicted by climate models -- disrupt the carbon cycle. In times of drought, plants assume less carbon resulting in increased concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This creates serious implications for climate projections and socioeconomic impacts on society.
Wildfires and air pollution exacerbated by climate change pose a dire threat to human health, particularly for those with conditions such as asthma and autoimmune disorders. Addressing these health impacts requires advanced tools that aid in critical decision-making and managing the disparities in global exposure to environmental stressors.
Arctic warming. In the Arctic, the effects of climate change -- melting sea ice, thawing permafrost, and coastal flooding -- also have global implications. Indigenous Peoples have been observing their natural environment for thousands of years. Their knowledge is crucial for the development of equitable and inclusive policies that help scientists and policymakers effectively address climate change.
ETH Zurich, Embassy of Switzerland in the U.S.A., and swissnex Boston
Co-organized session at AAAS 2025 in Boston
external page Climate Extremes: Global, Health, and Community Impacts
external page Boston’s Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02115, USA
Friday, 14 February 2025
10:00 - 11:00 AM (US EST - Eastern Standard Time)
Contact:
Sonia I. Seneviratne is a Full Professor at the Dept. of Environmental Systems Science and Head of Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science at ETH Zurich, in Switzerland. She investigates processes leading to droughts and heatwaves, the impact of land processes and land cover changes on regional climate, and their changes with global warming. Prof. Seneviratne also currently serves as an elected Vice-Chair of Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Droughts and the Impact of Human-Induced Climate Change Presentation
Extreme climate events associated to human-induced climate change are occurring with an accelerated frequency. Scientific evidence demonstrates an important link between droughts and the carbon cycle. It shows that climate models underestimate the effect of drought on carbon dioxide uptake. In times of drought, plants assume less carbon resulting in increased concentrations of carbon dioxide in the air. This increase creates serious implications for climate projections, with socioeconomic impacts on society.
Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, Land-Climate Dynamics at ETH Zurich
Mary B. Rice MD MPH is the director of the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment (Harvard Chan C-CHANGE) and the Mark and Catherine Winkler Associate Professor of Environmental Respiratory Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is a pulmonary critical care physician and the director of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) Institute for Lung Health, where she is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. (image pending)
Wildfires: Impacts on Human Health and Immunity
Climate-driven environmental stressors such as wildfires and air pollution trigger complex immune responses for persons with asthma, autoimmune disorders, and cancer. Tackling the sources of this “immunity epidemic” requires new data science techniques, economic models, and biomarkers that more precisely measure, monitor, and manage the impact of climate change on human health – especially the disparities in global communities inequitably exposed.
external page Mary Berlik Rice's bio
external page Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Nikoosh Carlo, Commissioner, US Arctic Research Commission – integrated Arctic research policy. As a Koyukon Athabascan, she has deep roots in the Interior Alaska communities of Fairbanks and Tanana. Carlo is founder and chief strategist at CNC North Consulting. She has extensive experience working to advance community-driven solutions to climate change. (image pending)
Arctic Warming: Shaping Climate Policy with Indigenous Strategies
Melting sea ice, thawing permafrost, and coastal flooding – climate change in the Arctic affects us all. Representing a small minority of the global population, Indigenous Peoples inhabiting Arctic regions serve as stewards to nearly a quarter of Earth’s biodiversity. With cultural ties and observations of the natural environment stemming back thousands of years, Indigenous communities offer policymakers adaptation strategies for managing natural resources that are both equitable and inclusive.
Co-organizers
- Marianne Lucien, International Communication · ETH Zurich
- Olivia Gachoud, Head of Science & Technology Office · external page Embassy of Switzerland in the United States of America
- Brendan Karch, Chief of Staff and Head of Research · external page Swissnex in Boston and New York