Views that Matter: Race and Opinions on Climate Change of Boston Area Residents
January 21st, 2021
The webinar focuses on results from a first of its kind survey of 200 Boston area residents from each of these groups: Blacks, Latinos, Asian Americans, and whites. Beyond the presentation and discussion of key findings, the webinar will encourage a broader consideration of challenges and opportunities in designing, funding, and administering studies aimed at elevating the voices of racial groups in climate related work.
Presenters:
Paul Watanabe is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Institute for Asian American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. His current research focuses on political behavior, race and ethnic studies, and public policy. He is the author of Ethnic Groups, Congress, and American Foreign Policy and principal author of A Dream Deferred: Changing Demographics, New Opportunities, and Challenges for Boston. Paul received his B.S. in Political Science from the University of Utah and Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University.
Dr. Lorena Estrada-Martínez’ research utilizes an ecological approach to understanding racial/ethnic disparities in behavioral and mental health outcomes. Most of her work has centered on how neighborhood- and family based dynamics during adolescence impact the short- and long-term risk for violent behaviors and depression among minority adolescents, with special emphasis on Latinx populations. Dr. Estrada-Martínez is the principal investigator (PI) with Dr. Paul Watanabe of a mixed-methods study funded by the Barr Foundation that examines the sociodemographic distribution of opinions and attitudes on climate change. We are especially interested in understanding how communities of color in different parts of the greater Boston-area understand and experience climate change. She is also the PI of an EPA funded transdisciplinary team that will study the health impacts of the US Navy’s operations in Vieques, an island municipality of Puerto Rico, and to develop novel ways to reduce contamination levels; and the co-PI (PI: Dr. Rosalyn Negrón) of a NSF-funded study that examines the political, moral discourse, and mental health implications of relocation decisions among Puerto Ricans in the wake of Hurricane María.
