Authority on Environmental Education Available for Interviews
01/20/2021
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-758-4664, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
President Joe Biden’s plan to rejoin the Paris Agreement as one of his first acts in office demonstrates a bold commitment to environmental health, according to a climate-change expert available for interviews.
Ratified in 2016, the United Nations’ Paris Agreement calls on countries to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in order to stem climate change. More than 185 countries are party to the treaty, including initially the United States. But Donald Trump rescinded U.S. involvement in the pact – a decision Biden has vowed to reverse. As he does so, he sets up an opportunity to “build back better,” according to UMass Lowell’s Juliette Rooney-Varga, a climate-change expert who has pioneered interactive simulation exercises that allow students, policymakers and the public to learn about energy choices and the impacts of global warming.
“The incoming Biden administration is sending a clear signal that it takes the climate crisis seriously and views climate action as an opportunity to stimulate the economy, create jobs, improve public health and rejoin international alliances that are needed to address global problems,” Rooney-Varga said. His approach “is our best hope for real, long-term solutions.”
Rooney-Varga directs UMass Lowell’s Climate Change Initiative, which supports evidence-based climate action and examines the environmental, social, economic and political consequences of climate change. She is available to discuss:
- How Biden’s policy plans seek to integrate climate action into the workings of government;
- How climate change intersects with the COVID-19 crisis;
- Classroom models that can teach people about energy concepts and the effects of climate change.
Rooney-Varga is a UMass Lowell professor of environmental science. To arrange an interview with her via phone, email or Zoom (or another platform), contact Nancy Cicco at Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu, 978-934-4944 or Christine Gillette at Christine_Gillette@uml.edu, 978-758-4664.