Ahead of Earth Day’s 52nd anniversary on April 22, 2022, CU Boulder’s internationally recognized environmental, law and history experts are available for media interviews about significant present and past environmental events, movements and research. They can also give context to the milestone 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, and on the work still ahead of us to maintain healthy ecosystems and a stable planet.
For help arranging interviews, email cunews@colorado.edu.
IPCC
Max Boykoff, chair of the Department of Environmental Studies and fellow in the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), can speak to the IPCC Working Group III report on climate change mitigation released April 4, 2022, as he is a contributing author on two chapters. He is also lead Project Investigator for the Media and Climate Change Observatory (MeCCO) and can discuss monitoring media coverage of climate change and media representations of climate change.
The 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act
Mark Squillace, professor of natural resources law and former lawyer at the Department of the Interior, can speak to the significance and impacts of the Clean Water Act as 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the legislation. He is also available to discuss topics around the Biden administration’s environmental agenda and the implications of the West Virginia vs. Environmental Protection Agency case before the Supreme Court.
Environmental justice
Jill Harrison, associate professor of sociology, is an expert on environmental justice (EJ) movements and government agencies’ associated efforts to address environmental inequality. She is a member of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC), which advises the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on environmental justice, and she co-founded and directs the CU Graduate Certificate in Environmental Justice. She can speak to the Biden-Harris administration’s EJ reform efforts, the longer history of government agencies’ EJ reform efforts, and the EJ movements to which they are responding.
Environmental policy and climate change
Matt Burgess, assistant professor of environmental studies, faculty affiliate of economics and fellow in CIRES, can speak about the interconnected relationships between environmental policies, economics and politics. His recent publications analyze climate change scenarios, challenges in environmental management, and why it’s time to stop defining a nation’s success through economic growth. He will moderate a bipartisan discussion on climate solutions at CU Boulder on April 14, 2022.
Pete Newton, associate professor of environmental studies, studies the ways in which humans use and affect the natural environment, and explores ways in which we can do so more sustainably. He can speak to global food systems and the impact of our food choices on climate change and the environment, such as if buying local is actually beneficial. His most recent publication shows how cattle ranchers in Brazil could help reduce carbon emissions.
Entrepreneurship and sustainability
Jeff York, a professor of strategy and entrepreneurship and chair of the Division of Social Responsibility and Sustainability (SRS) at the Leeds School of Business, studies environmental entrepreneurship––the simultaneous creation of ecological and economic goods. His recent research highlights how green startups may be more impactful at addressing climate change than legacy companies.
History of Earth Day and the environmental movement
Paul Sutter, professor of environmental history, can talk about the first Earth Day in 1970 and the history of the postwar American environmental movement and events that were critical to its development. He can also speak to the history of the wilderness preservation movement, the history of public lands conservation and the history of American agriculture and its environmental impacts.
Climate change and comedy
Beth Osnes is an associate professor of theater and the director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Theatre & Dance. She co-leads CU Boulder’s Stand Up for Climate Comedy production that features climate comedy performances from professional comedians and students. She can discuss the power of humor in communicating issues on climate change.
Inside the Greenhouse’s “Stand Up for Climate Change” live comedy show at CU Boulder on April 15, free to the public.