A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Pamela Grothe
Assistant Director of Earth and Environmental Science Pamela Grothe discussed research on the lack of green spaces in redlined communities in Virginia on “With Good Reason,” which aired Saturday, May 22 through Friday, May 28. With Good Reason airs Sundays at 2 p.m. on Fredericksburg’s Radio IQ 88.3 Digital and at various times throughout the week on stations across Virginia and the United States. Check the website for show times.
Planned Destruction: It’s difficult to imagine that the highway was someone’s home. But it was. LaToya S. Gray (Virginia Commonwealth University) says a once thriving Richmond neighborhood known as the Harlem of the South fell victim to intentionally destructive city planners. And: You don’t have to look far to connect racial inequities to environmental issues. Jeremy Hoffman (The Science Museum of Virginia) says that many formerly redlined neighborhoods experience up to 16 degree hotter days in the summer than green lined neighborhoods within walking distance. Aside from jumping in a pool, trees are our best bet to cool summer heat.. Pamela Grothe (University of Mary Washington) says we have to be intentional about putting trees in the right places.
Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Pamela Grothe
Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Science Pamela Grothe discussed GM’s plan to phase out gas-powered vehicles with Courthouse News.
Pamela R. Grothe, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Mary Washington, believes this is a positive first step that will inspire other automakers to follow suit.
“Tackling climate change needs an all-hands-on-deck approach – we need companies, like GM, to commit to a carbon neutral future rather than waiting for government policies. I think GM’s move to a carbon neutral future will encourage other auto makers to do so, especially since they have already laid out the framework on how to do it,” she wrote in an email.
She added, “GM’s commitment to electrify their fleet and invest in renewable charging infrastructure will not only reduce carbon emissions related to transportation, but will lead to better air quality and human health.” Read more.
Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Pamela Grothe
Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Science Pamela Grothe presented on Sunday as part of former Vice President Al Gore’s 24 Hours of Reality: Countdown to the Future, a digital and global conversation about the climate crisis and its solutions in communities around the world. The presentation focused on the local impacts and solutions of the climate crisis in Virginia, especially as they relate to COVID-19, voting and how people can become agents of change. The presentation was led by Julie Kay, a Climate Reality Project Leader and the co-founder of Fossil Free Fredericksburg. She was joined by Grothe; Bridget McGregor, an organizer with the Virginia League of Conservation Voters; and Allison Grant, member of the UMW President’s Council on Sustainability. The presentation ended with a question and answer panel. Read more.
Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Science Pamela Grothe was interviewed by NewsPoint360 about the ways the COVID-19 pandemic has or hasn’t affected climate change in 2020, and what efforts governments, companies and individuals can take to slow its effects.
Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Pamela Grothe
Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Science Pamela Grothe recently penned a letter to The Free Lance-Star entitled, “Smarter choices will lead to net-zero emissions.”
As a professor for UMW’s COVID-19 in Context course, I spoke to students and community members on how the worldwide shutdown of economies has affected climate change.
The students asked an astute question: Will reduced emissions during the pandemic help climate change?
Scientists estimated that global emissions during the peak confinement period in early April dropped to 2006 levels. On average, countries with large economies reduced their emissions by 25 pecent at the peak of their confinement periods. Estimates for 2020 annual emission reductions range from 4-to-8 percent, the largest drop ever to be recorded. Read more.
Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Pamela Grothe
Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Science Pamela Grothe penned a letter to the editor of The Free Lance-Star, along with Julie Kay of the Climate Reality Project and Amanda Stebbins of Fossil Free Fredericksburg. Entitled “Cost of Clean Energy Act overblown,” the op-ed addresses the newspaper’s criticisms of clean energy and other efforts to combat climate change. The authors advocate on behalf of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, legislation that will help move the commonwealth away from reliance of fossil fuels and toward clean carbon-free energy. Read more.
Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Pamela Grothe
Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Science Pamela Grothe was recently selected for the American Geophysical Union’s “2020 Voices for Science” program. AGU President Robin Bell shared the following with Earth and Environmental Science Chair Jodie Hayob-Matzke:
This program is available to U.S.-based scientists with strong communication skills and an interest in sharing the value and impact of Earth and space science with key decision makers, journalists, and public audiences, to increase the widespread understanding of and support for science. As a member of the 2020 class, Pamela was selected from a highly competitive applicant pool based on demonstrated leadership and the potential to positively influence the local community.
Voices for Science provides its participants with many resources, including unique skills-building workshops and toolkits focused on communications and policy; hands-on support from AGU staff in conducting and organizing outreach opportunities; and expense-paid travel to Washington, D.C. for an April workshop (made virtual this year but with a possible, later in-person component) and to San Francisco, CA for the AGU Fall Meeting in December. Beyond the professional development opportunities in the program, Pamela will also network and collaborate with the 39 other scientists selected for the program, and the 65 members of the past two year’s cohorts.
The scientific enterprise depends heavily on federal support, and, as we are seeing now, the critical challenges of our time can only be solved if we let strong science inform our decisions. Now more than ever, it is essential for scientists to interact with policy makers, the public and the media on a regular basis. Lawmakers need to hear about critical issues both directly from scientists and from their constituents, and Pamela’s efforts to reach out to legislators on Capitol Hill and galvanize the local community can and will make a difference.
Collectively, the Voices for Science participants will help to amplify science and its worth and help both policymakers and the broader community see that our nation continues to support and benefit from our scientific enterprise. With the help of their community of peers and AGU’s resources, these participants will be able to successfully connect with these audiences even when not speaking with them in person.
Pamela’s enthusiasm for developing and using communication and advocacy skills as part of the 2020 Voices for Science program shows a tremendous dedication to promoting science for the benefit of the scientific community and humanity at large, and AGU would like to commend her.