Audubon Texas Hosts Climate and Clean Energy Forum in Dallas

DALLAS, Texas (Dec. 6, 2019) –A climate change and clean energy forum at the Trinity River Audubon Center (TRAC) last month featured discussions of actions needed to counteract rising global temperatures, with a focus on local efforts in Dallas.

The event, which was co-hosted by Audubon Texas and TRAC, addressed the main conclusions of Audubon’s Survival by Degrees report: that birds tell us the time to act on climate change is now, and that by helping birds we help people, too. Panel experts also addressed the climate impacts on other animals and illustrated how Dallas, a strategically important city on climate efforts, is formulating its own plan to address climate challenges in the coming years.

The forum also served as a capstone event for Greencorps organizer Emily Moos. She led a volunteer recruitment effort in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex this fall on behalf of Audubon to intensify the impact of the Survival by Degrees report in North Texas, and to mobilize her volunteers around priority strategies such as the promotion of clean energy technologies.

Forum organizers estimated that 60 people came out for the panel discussion. Featured speaker Kevin Overton, Dallas’ sustainability officer, provided an overview of the city’s Comprehensive Environmental & Climate Action Plan (CECAP).

Audubon Texas Director of Conservation Strategy Romey Swanson and University of Dallas professor Anthony Cummings also participated in the panel, with Audubon Texas Policy Director Scott Moorhead moderating the conversation.

As an additional benefit, U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Dallas) had a member of her staff present at the forum. TRAC is in Rep. Johnson’s district, and the lawmaker currently chairs the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, which oversees the Better Energy Storage Technology (BEST) Act (S.1602/H.R.2986), a priority bill for Audubon.