Leading scientists for Amy Poehler's Smart Girls Panel: Climate change is serious threat

BUILD Series NYC welcomed Tiernan Sittenfeld (SVP for Government Affairs at the League of Conservation Voters), Caroline Weinberg (public health researcher and educator, co-founder of the Science March), Nicole Hernandez Hammer (Union of Concerned Scientists' Climate Science and Community Advocate) and Dr. Kate Biberdorf (Professor, Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin) as part of Amy Poehler's Smart Girls panel.

Dr. Knatokie Ford (Obama Administration Senior Policy Advisor, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy) moderated the panel of leading voices in science in discussing topics ranging from the stigma surrounding science and the struggles of being a woman in STEAM.

Weinberg remarked on the overwhelming success of the April 22nd Science March, which was held in more than 600 cities worldwide: "People, not just scientists, are so desperate to stand up and defend science. It was heartbreaking, but also encouraging."

Sittenfeld added, "The stakes have never been higher...We have come off of the best two years ever in the fight against climate change, thanks to the incredible leadership of President Obama."

She went on to explain why over 200,000 people marched on April 29th to protest climate change:

"The first 100 days of the Trump Administration have been an unmitigated disaster...It's very clear Donald Trump deserves an 'F' [on his national environmental scorecard]. If there was a grade worse than an 'F,' he would deserve that. He's the most anti-environmental, anti-public health president we've ever had."

Hammer articulated why climate change is negatively impacting us: "The rate of sea level is double what it was eighty years ago...Last year was the hottest year on record, the year before that was the hottest, the year before that was the hottest...[If you don't believe in sea level rise,] go to Miami in October and see the saltwater come up through the storm drains."

Amy Poehler's Smart Girls organization prioritizes authenticity, intelligence and curiosity, and provides a platform for underrepresented voices.