Climate Resiliency and Its Impact on Residents’ Health

The Health Funders Affinity Group hosts Ben Zaitchik, PhD, chair and professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University who will give an update on the promising work of the Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative (BSEC).

Two years into a five-year, $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Dr. Zaitchik and his team of researchers are aiming to create Baltimore as one of the world’s most climate resilient cities. The project draws on the expertise of scientists, academics, researchers, climate modeling specialists, community leaders, and other experts from Hopkins, Pennsylvania State University, Morgan State University, University of Virginia, City University of New York, Drexel University, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Baltimore City Office of Sustainability, and a variety of Baltimore community-based organizations.

The BSEC offers a new approach in which climate scientists work in close partnership with the citizens of Baltimore to identify community priorities that guide the scientific questions being asked. The challenge before the BSEC researchers is to figure out how atmospheric, climatic, and environmental factors interact across Baltimore and come up with equitable climate adaptation strategies. Dr. Zaitchik believes this would allow Baltimore to withstand pressures from climate change, while prioritizing investments in historically underserved communities. Dr. Zaitchik serves on Baltimore City’s Sustainability Commission which is deeply engaged in climate dynamics and its effects on people. Click here to read more about BSEC.

This event is for Maryland Philanthropy Network members and invited guests only.