At-Risk Populations: Climate Threats & Clean Energy Solutions


May 13, 2022 | Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd and Chris Walker

In this webinar entitled At-Risk Populations: Climate Threats & Clean Energy Solutions, Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd, Director of the Atmospheric Sciences Program and Distinguished Professor of Geography & Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia, will talk about the physical threats and vulnerabilities of urban communities to climate change, and Chris Walker, Senior Director of Programs at GRID Alternatives, will address how to overcome the barriers to make the provision of renewable energy just and accessible to low-wealth communities.

Speaker Bio – Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd:

Dr. Marshall Shepherd is the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia and Director of its Atmospheric Sciences Program. He has received numerous awards including the 2004 White House PECASE Award, the Captain Planet Foundation Protector of the Earth Award, the 2019 AGU Climate Communication Prize, the 2020 Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science, and the 2018 AMS Helmut Landsberg Award. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in meteorology from Florida State University. He has two TEDx talks on climate science and communication that collectively exceed two million viewers. He is routinely asked to brief the media, Congress, and the White House on weather-climate-science-related topics.

Speaker Bio – Chris Walker:

Chris is GRID Alternatives’ Senior Director of Programs and co-leads GRID’s Program Administration Department. He also leads the Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) program, a historic effort to expand solar access and its benefits to renters by installing 300 MW of solar on multifamily affordable housing by 2030. Prior to coming to GRID, Chris helped lead U.S. Department of Energy-funded programs at The Solar Foundation. Chris has also volunteered extensively with the NAACP’s Environmental and Climate Justice Program and holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Florida in Political Science, with concentrations in global political economy and sustainable development.