The conference was co-sponsored by Sustainable Westchester.
Experts, including keynote speakers Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig of the NASA Goddard Space Center and Professor Michael Gerrard of the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School, discussed the formidable threats of climate change to the county and outlined solutions and strategies available to municipalities to address these threats.
Specifics of climate change that were discussed included coastal resiliency (Mark Lowery, Climate Policy Analyst, Office of Climate Change NYSDEC); regional examples of solution/strategies (Nina Orville, Ex. Dir. of SWEAC); A Climate Showcase Community, (Gray Russell, Sustainability Director of Montclair, NJ); Microgrids (Jordan Gerow, Energy and Climate Law Advisor, the Energy and Climate Change Center, Pace Law School); Climate Management through Land Use Planning and Regulation( Prof. John Nolon, Counsel to Pace's Land Use Law Center; NYS Climate Change Plan (Jared Snyder, Assistant DEC Commissioner for Air Resources, Climate Change and Energy) and ways to achieve more energy independence (Prof. Karl Rabago, Director of the Energy and Climate Change Center at Pace Law School).
The summit's final section included a panel discussion with the speakers and Pace Law School Dean Emeritus Richard Ottinger, moderated by Professor Nicholas Robinson. The audience had the opportunity to ask questions and the conversations exemplified how ready and eager Westchester County residents are to take actions to combat and address climate change in their own backyards.
In addition to the summit, Pace University students also marched in the New York City Climate March.
For more information on upcoming programs, contact the FCWC office at 914-422-4053 or fcwc@fcwc.org.