Climate Correction™ - A Climate Change Podcast

In today’s episode, we meet with Danny O’Malley a producer on Chef’s Table, and Alex Rivest, an MIT-educated neuroscientist. Together they directed a riveting climate documentary disguised as an adventure epic that speaks to the heart versus the viewer’s mind. CANARY is the film featuring Lonnie Thompson's climate odyssey atop the Quelccaya Ice Cap.

Join us as we delve into the remarkable work and life of Dr. Lonnie Thompson, a pioneering glaciologist whose research has been instrumental in shedding light on the impacts of climate change. Dr. Thompson has spent decades studying glaciers and ice caps around the world, but his work on the Quelccaya Ice Cap is particularly significant. Located high in the Peruvian Andes, Quelccaya is one of the world's largest tropical ice caps. It serves as a critical indicator of climate change due to its sensitivity to temperature variations. Dr. Thompson's research involves drilling ice cores to extract ancient air bubbles, allowing scientists to analyze the Earth's past climate conditions with unparalleled precision.

The documentary, "CANARY" takes us on a breathtaking journey to the top of the Quelccaya Ice Cap, where Lonnie, his team, and an entire film crew conduct and film the research. At an elevation of 18,000 feet, this desolate, icy expanse provides a stark visual representation of the profound changes our planet is undergoing. Through stunning visuals and interviews with the scientists, the film documents the dramatic retreat of Quelccaya's ice, which has accelerated in recent decades.

At the peak of Dr. Thompson's career, he received some devastating health news that threatened to halt his progress. The directors draw a parallel between Lonnie's struggles to accept his health condition, and the broader challenge that many of us face in accepting the reality of climate change caused by a warming atmosphere.

Through their dedication and storytelling, Dr. Thompson, Rivest, and O'Malley inspire us all to take action to protect our world for future generations.

Links:

Find showings here: https://canary.oscilloscope.net/

Join us at Climate Week NYC here: https://www.climateweeknyc.org/events/canary-documentary-film-screening

Guest Bios (provided by the guest):

Danny O’Malley

Danny O'Malley is a Grammy-nominated and James Beard-nominated film director, best known for his work on Netflix's Chef's Table, where he serves as co-executive producer and director. Danny has an extensive background in filming, collaborating with various bands across the U.S., including Tegan and Sara, The Rentals, The Decemberists, Kraftwerk, and more. Notably, his documentary ‘States’, part of Tegan and Sara's release ‘Get Along’ was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Long Form Music Video. Danny initially made his mark in documentary television as a story producer, and his work has been featured on major platforms such as Netflix, Fox Sports One, and NBC. On Chef's Table, Danny is a key driving force shaping the character-driven storytelling that defines the show’s signature style. Danny, and his directing partner Alex Rivest PhD, won the Alfred P. Sloan development grant in 2017, which led to the creation of his first feature ‘Canary.’

Alex Rivest

Alex Rivest is an MIT-trained PhD Neuroscientist. Having worked alongside Nobel Prize winner Dr. Susumu Tonegawa, Alex's research has been published in two of the most highly renowned scientific journals, Science and Nature Neuroscience. Alex grew up in an environment where curiosity and question-asking were highly valued, and he has dedicated his life to helping teach others about the wonders of the world. As an educator, he received the Angus MacDonald Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching at MIT and founded the nonprofit Blue Kitabu, which built a sustainable primary school in central Ghana. As a science filmmaker, Alex’s videos have accumulated over 70 million views online, and have been featured everywhere, from billboards in Times Square to installations in science museums, and even in an opera production of “Das Rheingold.” CANARY is his directorial debut.

This panel will discuss the health impacts of climate change, with a focus on the effects of extreme heat. It will be moderated by Bonnie Schneider, Founder of Weather & Wellness LLC and author of the book "Taking the Heat: How Climate Change is Affecting Your Mind, Body & Spirit, and What You Can Do About It." (Simon & Schuster). Bonnie's expert panelists are Shauna Junco, Pharm.D., BCPS, a Clinical Pharmacist specializing in adult infectious diseases, and Dr. Martin Derrow, MD FACP, a retired internal medicine specialist and member of Florida Clinicians for Climate Action. The discussion will shed light on the vulnerability of low-income and minority communities to heat-related illnesses and the potential for increased infectious disease outbreaks. Plus, it will address the importance of taking action to mitigate the mental and physical health impacts of climate change and share the panelists' perspective on the role of local and federal policy in reducing climate-related health hazards. Gain valuable insights and knowledge from these renowned experts and learn how we can work towards protecting our personal health and build more resilient and sustainable communities.

Speakers:

Bonnie Schneider, Author, Simon and Schuster

Bonnie Schneider is a meteorologist and author of the new book, Taking the Heat: How Climate Change is Affecting Your Mind, Body & Spirit, and What You Can Do About It, (Simon & Schuster ). Bonnie founded Weather & Wellness©, successfully launching its original video content focusing on climate change and health. Nationally recognized as an on-camera television meteorologist, Bonnie's shared her insight and expertise on everything from hurricanes to snowstorms for MSNBC, CNN, HLN, Bloomberg TV, and The Weather Channel. Following her recent move from NYC to Florida, Bonnie is a Sustainability and Climate Tech Contributor for Techstrong.tv, a media platform featuring thought leaders in technology and digital transformation. Bonnie has over 260k followers on her social platforms.

Martin Derrow, Florida Clinicians for Climate Action

Dr. Derrow practiced Internal Medicine in Central Florida from 1986 until his retirement from active practice at the end of 2020. A graduate of The Ohio State University and The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Dr. Derrow held leadership positions with Physician Associates and Orlando Health with an interest in population health. Since retirement, Dr. Derrow has been active with Florida Clinicians for Climate Action and believes climate change is the greatest public health challenge we face today.

Shauna Junco, Advocacy Committee Co-Chair, Florida Clinicians for Climate Action

Shauna Junco is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Adult Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship. She earned both her Bachelor of Arts in English and her PharmD from the University of Florida. After completing her PGY-1 residency in Hospital Practice at Grady Health System and her PGY-2 in Infectious Diseases from West Virginia University Hospital she moved to Orlando, where she has spent the last 10 years in clinical practice at Orlando Regional Medical Center/Orlando Health, which has earned and maintained recognition as a Center of Excellence for Antimicrobial Stewardship from the Infectious Diseases Society of America. She currently serves as the Florida Clinicians for Climate Action Advocacy Committee Co-Chair, ORMC’s Mitigation and Resiliency Committee Co-Chair, and as a member of the East Central Florida Regional Resilience Collaborative Heat & Health Task Force.

VoLo Foundation welcomes you to Climate CorrectionTM Conference 2023! Our Emcee John Morales gets us started. Ashley Van Stone, Sustainability Manager City of Orlando offers a warm welcome to 200+ attendees. VoLo Foundation’s Trustees and Founders, David S. Vogel and Thais Lopez Vogel, welcome everyone and remind us of the Foundation’s mission and vision. Dawn Shirreffs, Florida Director of Environmental Defense Fund gives a briefing that discusses how the Inflation Reduction Act can contribute to both local and global efforts and address climate change.

Historically, Florida has been slow to transition to clean energy, seemingly captive to the clout of utilities and the fossil fuel industry. But with solar costs dropping and federal dollars on the way, hear the latest about where the Sunshine State is on capturing cost-effective energy efficiency, solar, battery storage, and how we stack up on electrifying transportation.

Speakers

Susan Glickman

Policy & Program Consultant, Florida Clinicians For Climate Action

Named to Florida Trend’s Inaugural 500 Business Most Influential Business Leaders, Susan is with the Florida Clinicians for Climate Action - educating medical professionals on the health harms of climate change. She is a consultant to ReThink Energy Florida on The Upper Limit Project and Alianza for Progress on strategies to curb waste – a driver of climate change. She served as Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE’s) Florida Director from 2013 to 2021. A native of Florida, Susan has worked over two decades with many national organizations such as Natural Resources Defense Council, The Climate Group, Ceres, Our Children’s Trust, Center for Climate Integrity, Advanced Energy Economy, Union of Concerned Scientists and Environmental Defense Fund. Susan also developed and directed The Florida Business Network for a Clean Energy Economy, a coalition of business leaders working together to advance the clean energy economy. Susan was Founding Chair of the Florida Commission on the Status of Women. She was a Volunteer Florida Commissioner – having served under both Governors Charlie Crist and Rick Scott. Susan is on the Board of the Solar & Energy Loan Fund (SELF), a community development finance institution that provides affordable financing for weatherization and solar improvements. Susan is on the Steering Committee of the East Central Florida Regional Resilience Collaborative and co-chairs the Heat & Health Task Force.

Steve Rutherford

Founder and President, Tampa Bay Solar

He’s been a liberator of people, be it in the sands of Iraq or the rooftops of Tampa. And for the last few years, it’s clear, he’s still at it, freeing people from things that are larger than themselves. The only difference now is he is directly helping Americans, “here” at home. It’s been a long road to “here”, Tampa, but somehow the mission remained the same – helping people and freeing them. Steve also makes it very clear that he is willing to help his fellow military brothers and sisters by hiring veterans whenever possible. He knows what it’s like to come home. He’s served with honor, for over twenty-two years with the Navy SEALs. Integrity and honor are deeply woven into the wiring of Steve, and that flows into everything that he does. Character like this is hard to find, and you can be assured he takes every opportunity to serve you with the diligence and integrity he’s lived with for most of his life. Steve leverages his extensive knowledge and background when working with Solar Systems. And his lifelong passion for all things electrical shines with each new client and each new project. Steve brings so much experience to the Solar Industry, and to new customers as well. It’s easy to see why Tampa Bay Solar’s future is very bright, now if we can just figure out a way to harness that! Seriously though, you can find Steve on rooftops helping the installation crew and inspecting each job to guarantee your new solar energy system is installed to his high standards.

Ann Vanek-Dasovich

Chief Business Development Officer, Solar And Energy Loan Fund (SELF)

Local governments in the Southeast face numerous challenges and barriers to advancing their sustainability and climate action priorities. This session will specifically focus on how SSDN is helping local governments build internal capacity to achieve climate-related goals, including participating in state-level policy forums and accessing federal funding to resource these activities. Southeast Sustainability Directors Network is a peer-to-peer network connecting over 100 local and tribal governments with the goal to accelerate, scale, and implement sustainability best practices throughout the Southeast region. SSDN speakers will include Ann Livingston (Director of Policy) who will discuss building the capacity of local government to meet climate and energy goals as well as engage with state and federal partners and Michael Dexter (Director of the SSDN’s Multimedia Environmental Finance Center) who will discuss federal funding opportunities and technical assistance offerings to help resource local governments to achieve climate priorities.

Speakers

Michael Dexter

Southeast Sustainability Director's Network

Michael is the Director of the Multimedia Environmental Finance Center, a pilot program of the Southeast Sustainability Directors Network. SSDN's EFC helps local governments and the communities they represent in the Southeast have the opportunity and support to access and be awarded funding to advance sustainability and resilience efforts. He provides technical assistance to members to access and apply for federal funding, liaises with federal agencies, and connects local governments with key partners who provide additional support under the Center’s umbrella. Prior to being with SSDN, he worked within local, state, and federal government including at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to oversee a $1.2 billion annual grant program, coordinate agency-wide climate change adaptation efforts, and support disaster preparedness and emergency response efforts.

Ann Livingston

Director, State Policy Program, Southeast Sustainability Directors Network

Ann has consistently taken an entrepreneurial approach to developing and implementing leading-edge solutions to sustainability issues facing communities, regions, and states since earning both a Juris Doctorate and an Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Environment, Policy and Society from the University of Colorado in 2000. She has served as the Land Use Attorney for Environment Colorado; Director, Center for Communities by Design at the AIA National Chapter; Boulder County Sustainability Coordinator; Program Manager for State and Local Engagement at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), Principal Planner in Sustainability for Fort Lauderdale; and as a Climate Advisor for the City of St. Petersburg, FL prior to joining the SSDN team as Policy Director. Ann has worked collaboratively with multiple levels of government, utilities, the private sector (including technology firms, trade allies, and financial institutions), advocacy groups, Federal Laboratories, the US Department of Energy, and state energy offices among others. She has served on the City of Boulder and Xcel Energy Task Force (focused on municipalization and alternative partnership options), as President of the Colorado Green Building Guild, as Vice-President of the Environment Colorado Research and Policy Center Board of Directors, and on numerous other advisory boards and work groups. Ann was named as a Person of the Year by the Boulder Weekly (2009), Sustainability Champion (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2010), and Forty Under Forty by the Boulder County Business Report (2010). Ann is a 5th generation native Floridian—her love of natural Florida inspired her to pursue a career in sustainability and remains a source of motivation today.