The African Methodist Episcopal Church will hold its 49th Quadrennial Session of the General Conference, Exalting Christ to Impact the World, from June 27 to July 4, 2012, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Danielle Deane of the Joint Center's Energy and Environment Program will appear at the Session on June 29 to present information on the green churches initative undertaken by select AME churches with help from Green DMV and the Joint Center.

For more information on the Session, please visit the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

WASHINGTON, DC – Communities of color in six southern and western states face a “perfect storm” of poor health, socioeconomic barriers and climate-related challenges, and many are being left out of government climate change and disaster planning activities, according to a report released today by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

The report prepared by researchers at the Texas Health Institute, Climate Change, Environmental Challenges and Vulnerable Communities: Assessing Legacies of the Past, Building Opportunities for the Future, is the first to coalesce data and research across a range of demographic, health, environmental and climate-related measures for Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.  It examines state and local initiatives for climate change mitigation and adaptation, assessing the integration of vulnerable communities into the planning process.

The webinar recording discussing the findings and recommendations of the report, which took place on Monday May 21st at 3:30 pm ET, can be found HERE.

The Joint Center report Climate Change, Environmental Challenges and Vulnerable Communities: Assessing Legacies of the Past, Building Opportunities for the Future brings together demographic, health and environmental data and research for Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.  This first-of-its-kind study, prepared for the Joint Center by the Texas Health Institute, delves into state and local initiatives for mitigation and adaptation, assesses the progress for communities of color and highlights that some communities of color face a "perfect storm" of poor health, socioeconomic barriers and climate-related challenges. Recommendations for state and local level actions will be discussed.

A Joint Center webinar featuring the authors of the report and expert commentators took place on Monday, May 21, 2012 at 3:30 p.m. EST/2:30 p.m. CST/12:30 p.m. PST.   The recording can be found here.
The panelists were::

	Dennis Andrulis, Ph.D. - Senior Research Scientist, Texas Health Institute, and  Associate Professor, School of Public Health, University of Texas at Austin
	Nadia Siddiqui, MPH – Senior Health Policy Analyst, Texas Health Institute
	Mary Hayden, Ph.D. – Research Scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research
	Michael K. Dorsey, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor, Dartmouth College
	David Edmonson – Senior Policy Analyst, Office of Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis (Senate District 13)
	Moderator: Danielle Deane - Director, Energy and Environment Program, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

The report Climate Change, Environmental Challenges and Vulnerable Communities: Assessing Legacies of the Past, Building Opportunities for the Future brings together demographic, health and environmental data and research for Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. It delves into state and local initiatives for mitigation and adaptation, assessing the progress for communities of color and concluding that some communities of color face a "perfect storm" of poor health, socioeconomic barriers and climate-related challenges.

Register for the webinar with the authors which takes place on May 21st here.

Download the Executive Summary below, or the Full Report and Appendices.

This Joint Center webinar features U.S. experts and Mexican leaders who successfully advocated for Mexico's new global warming legislation, highlighting key features of the law and its potential impact on U.S. and international climate politics.

The full webinar can be found here (registration required).

Last week, Mexico became one of a small handful of major-emitting countries to pass domestic global warming legislation,making it a leader among developing nations working to curb carbon pollution. The law calls for Mexico to cut carbon 30 percent below business-as-usual growth rates by 2030 and 50 percent below by mid-century.  The Mexican Senate voted unanimously in favor of the law.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies will host a webinar featuring U.S. experts and Mexican leaders who successfully advocated for this law. Panelists will highlight key features of the new law and discuss the potential impact of this breakthrough on U.S. and international climate politics.

Panelists include:

• Mary Nichols - Chairwoman, California Air Resources Board
• Adrián Fernández - Consultant for the Latin American Initiative, ClimateWorks Foundation, and Former President, National Ecology Institute
• Vanessa Perez-Cirera - Director of Climate and Energy programs for World Wildlife Fund-Mexico.
• Rodrigo Gallegos - Director of Climate and Technology, Mexico Institute for Competitiveness
• Moderator: Danielle Deane - Director, Energy and Environment Program, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

We thank our colleagues at the National Latino Coalition on Climate Change for their support of this webinar.

To register, please click the "register" button to the right.

Mexico's New Climate Law: Mary Nichols and Mexican Experts Discuss Implications for U.S. and International Policy                

A Webinar took place on April 30th  from 2:00 p.m. - 2:45 ET/ 11:00 a.m. - 11:45 PT
   
The following panel of experts participated:
 

• Mary Nichols - Chairwoman, California Air Resources Board
• Adrián Fernández - Consultant for the Latin American Initiative,
  ClimateWorks Foundation, and Former President, National Ecology
  Institute
• Vanessa Perez-Cirera - Director of Climate and Energy programs for
  World Wildlife Fund-Mexico.
• Rodrigo Gallegos - Director of Climate and Technology, Mexico Institute for Competitiveness
• Moderator: Danielle Deane - Director, Energy and Environment Program,
   Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

Summary: Recently, Mexico became one of a small handful of major-emitting countries to pass domestic global warming legislation, making it a leader among developing nations working to curb carbon pollution. The law calls for Mexico to cut carbon 30 percent below business-as-usual growth rates by 2030 and 50 percent below by mid-century. The Mexican Senate voted unanimously in favor of the law.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies will host a webinar featuring U.S. experts and Mexican leaders who successfully advocated for this law. Panelists will highlight key features of the new law and discuss the potential impact of this breakthrough on U.S. and  international climate politics. We thank our colleagues at the National Latino Coalition on Climate Change for their support of this webinar.

Title:  Mexico's New Climate Law: Mary Nichols and Mexican Experts
Discuss Implications for U.S. and International Policy   
Date:  Monday, April 30, 2012    
Time:     2:00 PM - 2:45 PM ET / 11:00 - 11:45 PT

We are pleased to share that the recording of the webinar is now online at:
http://www.jointcenter.org/institutes/climate-change/multimedia

Talking points available for download:

• Vanessa Perez WWF-Mexico Talking Points
• Rodrigo Gallegos IMCO Talking Points

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies today joined forces with the National Minority Quality Forum to create a database that will offer lawmakers and community activists access to important data on local health and environmental conditions.

As a result of this collaboration, local civic and political leaders, other community activists and residents will have a powerful visual tool to assist them in communicating their concerns about health and environmental burdens in their neighborhoods.  Additionally, it will enable those making health and environmental decisions to better target their actions by understanding where these problems are most severe and where the most help is needed.

WASHINGTON, DC—The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies today announced a partnership with AME Church Bishops Vashti Murphy McKenzie and Adam Jefferson Richardson, Jr., and GREEN DMV to help local congregations raise their environmental awareness, make their churches more energy efficient and redirect cost savings to carry out the churches’ mission.

GREEN DMV, a non-profit organization that promotes the use of clean energy and the development of green jobs as a way out of poverty, will work with selected churches in the bishops’ districts to assess their energy use and to implement low- and no-cost strategies for reducing energy use.

The results will be shared with other AME congregations when thousands convene in Nashville, June 27-July 4, for the 49^th Quadrennial Session of the AME Church General Conference.

The American Association of Blacks in Energy will hold their 35th Annual National Conference, The Power of Energy: Winning Our Future, from April 17 to April 21, 2012 at the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel in Long Beach, California. Danielle Deane of the Joint Center's Energy and Environment Program will be a panelist at this event.

For more information, visit the American Association of Blacks in Energy.