Climate Crisis Forum

FACS held its 7th annual Climate Crisis Forum with the theme "Climate Change is a Health Emergency!"

Panelists

• Dr. Fan Tait, Former Chief Medical Officer at American Academy of Pediatrics
• Dr. Neelu Tummala, ENT Physician & Co-Director of the Climate Health Institute at George Washington University
• Dr. Samantha Ahdoot, Pediatrician at Pediatric Associates of Alexandria in Virginia
• Bobby Scott, MD Candidate at Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Medicine

Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS)'s Sixth Annual Virginia Climate Crisis Forum: Our Children’s Future discussed climate solutions needed to safeguard our families’ futures.

Panelists

• Jeff McKay, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair and Virginia Association of Counties President
• Matt de Ferranti, Arlington County Board of Supervisors Chair
• Ann Wheeler, Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chair

Guest speakers included Senior Staff Attorney Nate Bellinger from Our Children’s Trust, the world’s only non-profit public interest law firm dedicated exclusively to securing the legal rights of youth to a healthy atmosphere and safe climate, based on the best available science.

Moderator: Andrea McGimsey, Previous FACS Executive Director

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed dramatic health inequities, highlighting underlying conditions that threaten the health and well-being of communities of color and low-income communities. Join the discussion of roadblocks and opportunities for energy
efficiency and renewable energy for low-income communities in Virginia.

Panelists

• Chase Counts, Senior
  Director of Operations, Community Housing Partners
• Harrison Godfrey, Executive Director, Virginia
  Advanced Energy Economy
• Charniele Herring, Virginia House of Delegates Majority Leader (D)
• Trieste Lockwood, Senior Policy Advisor to Governor Ralph S. Northam.

Moderator: Shyamali Hauth, FACS Vice Chair

Join people of faith and community members across Virginia to engage in a deep conversation about environmental justice. As we work together to repair our damaged climate, we must make sure that everyone most impacted – including low-income people, people of color, the vulnerable, and those on the frontlines – is part of every solution.

Panelists

• Karla Bruce, Chief Equity Officer, Fairfax County
• Karen Campblin, Co-chair of Green New Deal Virginia; Transportation and Smart Growth Co-chair of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club; and Environmental and Climate Justice Chair of the Virginia NAACP State Conference
• Andrea Miller, Organizer for the Virginia Poor People’s Campaign and Executive Director of People Demanding Action
• Dawone Robinson, Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Director of Energy Affordability for the Natural Resources Defense Council
• Rev. Paul Wilson, Pastor of Union Hill Baptist Church and Union Grove Baptist Church
• Melody Zhang, Climate Justice Campaign Coordinator at Sojourners and Co-Chair of Young Evangelicals for Climate Action

Moderators

• William Barber, III, Strategic Partnerships Associate at The Climate Reality Project
• Karenna Gore, Founding Director of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary

Co-sponsored by Virginia Interfaith Power & Light; Interfaith Power & Light (DC, MD, NoVA); and Virginia Poor People's Campaign.

The planet is getting hotter, and we must take action. Since 1970, the number of days above 95 degrees in the Washington, DC-area have increased by 8.8 days. Five government and community leaders, including Virginia Senator Tim Kaine and Fairfax County Supervisor Dan Storch, discuss solutions to climate change.

Panelists

• Tim Kaine, Virginia Senator
• Dan Storch, Fairfax County Supervisor
• Samantha Ahdoot, MD, chair and co-founder, Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action
• Major General Rick Devereaux, USAF (Ret.), U.S. Air Force Advisory Board, Center for Climate and National Security
• Corey Stewart, Chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors and Republican Nominee for the U.S. Senate

Moderator: Rev. Dr. Jean Wright, FACS Co-Founder

Keynote Speaker: Candidate Ralph Northam

FACS also held a webinar with Generra Peck, then-Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Ed Gillespie’s Policy Director

Panelists

• Brian Moran, Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security
• Pat Hynes, Chairman of Fairfax County School Board
• John Foust, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors