Clapp on YouTube: A Wake-up Call to Combat Climate Change
Climate change is “the most important public health issue of the coming generation,” according to BUSPH Environmental Health Professor Dick Clapp, who helped to plan a November fundraising event called “Boston Night to Combat Climate Change.”
In an interview available on YouTube, Clapp discusses the challenges of educating the American public – and his own students – about the need to address global warming and climate instability, which he says are responsible for extreme weather events, ranging from hurricanes to droughts.
“How do we change people’s behavior? Well, that’s another thing,” he said. “As we all know, this is an overdeveloped country and we’ve all gotten used to all the appliances and the wasteful resources that we have. And so, how generations that have now grown up with that [can] change their attitude is a huge problem.”
He said the challenge is more daunting in the U.S. than in other countries because of “our over-consumption habits.”
“All I can say is, we have to keep pounding away at the message,” he encouraged. “I’ll teach public health students, and hopefully public health students will go out and talk to the general community and spread the word that way.”
The event, held in Cambridge, featured speakers and music aimed at raising awareness about the perils of climate change. Proceeds from the event benefited Oxfam America and the Natural Resource Defense Council. US Senator John Kerry and Congressman Ed Markey served as honorary co-chairs.
Submitted by Lisa Chedekel
chedekel@bu.edu