Kizzy Charles-Guzman
Username
Kizzy Charles-Guzman
Proposer First Name
Kizzy
Proposer Email
kguzman@cityhall.nyc.gov
Proposer Last Name
Charles-Guzman

Boston 2021 Areas of Focus

Proposer Company/Organization
NYC Mayor's Office of Sustainability
Proposer Phone
(347) 268-3987
Proposer Job Title
Deputy Director, Social and Environmental Policy
Proposer Additional Info
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kizzy-charles-guzman-27234b5
Proposed Session Description
Extreme heat is deadlier than all other weather-related hazards combined in New York City and the rest of the U.S., with risks increasing due to racial, social and economic inequality, climate change and increased development, which exacerbates the urban heat island effect. During summer of 2020’s record-breaking temperatures, heat-health was at the forefront of the national conversation on climate risk, intersecting with and compounding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its related economic and energy pressures. To protect heat-vulnerable families from preventable heat-related illness and death, NYC launched Get Cool NYC. This program distributed free, energy efficient air conditioners and secured summer utility bill discounts for low income New Yorkers. NYC’s strategies make a case for using actionable science for decision-making and the public interest; intentionally using health and climate data to achieve climate equity goals.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
• Our speaker panel is diverse in terms of race/ethnicity • This session topic directly addresses racial and economic justice. • Both speakers in the session lead teams that focus on equity in environmental policies for the country’s largest city. One of the speakers has over 15 years of experience leading environmental justice-focused policy and campaigns and developing community-facing initiatives.
Learning Objectives
1. Reflect on the focus areas of public health, climate and energy planning, built environment, building infrastructure, heat mapping, and emergency services delivery.
2. Have an improved understanding of heat risk perception and public behavior during extreme heat waves, and how energy policies can support health in at-risk communities.
3. Understand key policy approaches that they can advocate for implementation in their own communities.
4. Learn and share together virtually as a group through facilitated questions from the speakers to the audience and live Q&A with the presenters.
Has this session been presented before?
No
Additional Comments
I have not presented this same session (or presented with this additional speaker), but I have delivered a more heat-mapping/heat health data-specific focused one (link provided elsewhere on this application). This one will be more focused on energy insecurity and its effect on health
Target Audiences Level of Expertise
Level 1 - No prior knowledge needed.
Recommended Length
60-minute session

Strongest Content Connection - Boston 2021

Comments about your speaker roster
We are incredible women swimming upstream in City government! Together we have directed over a hundred million dollars to support environmental quality of life and energy security for low income communities in NYC. We'd like to make other residents, organizations, and government employees aware of our approach to encourage them to advocate for similar policies in their own communities.
Reviewer 1
Wright, Daryl
Reviewer 2
Wright, Daryl
Proposal #
187
Committee Decision
Being Considered

Presenters

Full Description
Governments are planning for a changing climate in the future, but climate impacts, like longer heat waves and more severe storms, are also being felt today. This session tackles the need for governments to plan for healthy communities via equity-focused, short-term energy affordability solutions, not just long-term sustainability strategies that may threaten the livelihood of current residents. Most importantly, this session challenges the notion of air conditioner access as a luxury, versus life-sustaining medical equipment for many segments of our population. Climate solutions that are exclusively focused on sustainability metrics are insufficient and often rooted in classist and racist values. Mitigated energy insecurity, improved environmental health and equal access to environmental benefits should be requisite goals for energy policies said to be “sustainable.”