At the World Economic Forum in 2019, Greta Thunberg stated, “I want you to act as if your house is on fire, because it is.” The University of Redlands will be participating in the second annual Worldwide Teach-In on Climate and Justice on March 29 with ambition to combat climate change and to act now in the face of adversity. Raising awareness, normalizing discourse, and reflecting upon our own actions are just a few of the goals of the event.
Created by the Bard Institute for Sustainability, located in New York, the Teach-In initiates conversations about climate change on K-12 campuses and universities around the world. The U of R is one of more than 200 schools that will participate, and organizers are hoping for an even more successful event than last year’s inaugural edition, which had over 250 attendees.
The Teach-In will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Orton Center, with Cuca’s Mexican Food catering available for purchase. More than 30 speakers, including professors, students, and community members, will give 5-minute talks on a variety of topics, including how climate change impacts sleep, sustainable fashion, climate change and gender inequality, and climate projections for Southern California.
Professor of Environmental Studies Valerie Rountree, who spearheads the Teach-In, believes people should attend the event “because climate change affects everyone. [Not all people] have the same level of exposure to disasters, or the same vulnerability, or the same ability to bounce back after an event, but it will affect us all – and in fact, it already is … Ignoring the problem will not make it go away.
“Climate change cannot be solved by a few — it requires collective action, creating change by all people working toward a common goal of mitigating the problem. The impacts of climate change are accelerating, Rountree said, “and for many people, the past year has been a climate nightmare of flooding, fire, and record-shattering temperatures. And yet, we still have both the time and tools to change the future. The work that we all do together over the next year, five years, 10 years, will profoundly shape the world to come. Engaging students and others within our own community is one of the most effective ways to raise awareness and build capacity to prepare for and solve the climate changes we face.”
To learn more about the U of R's Global Climate Teach-In click this link.
