Linn County hosting climate change discussion on Wednesday

LINN COUNTY — In celebration of Earth Week, the Linn County Office of Sustainability invites the public to join in an engaging conversation on climate change and climate action. This in-person event will be held Wednesday at 6 p.m. at CSPS Theater, 1103 Third St. SE, and is free and open to the public.

Featured speakers are Stacey Walker, Linn County Supervisor; Minouche Bandubuila, Hoover Community School Coordinator/YPN African Program Specialist; and John Zakrasek, Co-Chair, Linn County Sustainability & Resiliency Advisory Committee. It will be moderated by Linn County Sustainability Manager Tamara Marcus. The event will include a Q&A, along with informal discussion time with the speakers.

According to the National Climate Assessment, at-risk communities in the Midwest are becoming more vulnerable to climate change impacts such as flooding, drought, and increases in urban heat islands. East Central Iowa, including Linn County, is at particular risk for a greater number of catastrophic and intense storms, which will be further exacerbated by greenhouse gas emissions causing rising temperatures. As a community that has experienced three natural disaster events in the last 12 years that are arguably climate-driven, the effects of a changing climate are being seen here in Linn County.

After returning from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Antarctica, Walker had the opportunity to experience the impacts of climate change firsthand in another part of the world. Climate change and action can seem like a daunting challenge for the human race to tackle, but community members are working to address both the environmental and human impacts of climate change. Come enjoy an evening of conversation and stories about global climate change, how it affects us locally, and what we can do about it together.