This month we welcome speakers from five nations, reporting on Rotary’s work at COP 28, dangers to biodiversity, tools for climate action, and the impact of environmental crises on Rotary’s disaster response. A recording of each presentation is uploaded within a few days to ESRAG’s vimeo channel, https://vimeo.com/showcase/10043726, from which you can watch it and share it with your club and networks.
Feb. 7, Judith Diment, UBE, United Kingdom, reports on COP 28, 2 pm UTC: Rotary International hosted a Pavilion and 30 breakout sessions at COP 28 alongside governments, UN Agencies, NGOs, academia and business. Come hear Judith Diment of the United Kingdom, Dean of the Rotary Representative Network, tell us what happened. Live translation in Spanish and Portuguese. Register here. https://esrag.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAof-Cqqz0qGdO9XHVH76-9Kpgylu7LTsjG#/registration
Feb. 14, Rotaractors Lamech Opiyo and Rashid Alhassan speak about biodiversity concerns, 2 pm UTC: Two Rotaract environmental experts chosen to represent Rotary at COP 28 will share insights with ESRAG. Register here. https://esrag.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqduytqD8pE9CN_wQe_q5SfQ_QeKOJeLht#/registration
From left, photo of Lamech Opiyo, Rotaract District 9212 Membership Chair; Abdul Rashid Wumpiri Alhassan, Director of Rotary EndPlasticSoup in West Africa and WASHRAG Rotaract Operation Team Lead; and John Hewko, General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International.
Lamech Opiyo of Kenya, Rotaract District 9212 Membership Chair, will give a presentation titled “vanishing variety, the crisis of biodiversity loss,” emphasizing the vital role every creature plays in maintaining the balance of nature. Abdul Rashid Wumpiri Alhassan of Ghana is the Director of Rotary EndPlasticSoup in West Africa and WASHRAG Rotaract Operation Team Lead globally. He will speak about the impact of ocean acidification in biodiversity loss.
Feb. 21, Susan Peghiny speaks about Rotary Climate Action Now (RCAT), 2 pm UTC. Register here. https://esrag.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrdemorj0sG90EDmp9VXpfzJLE_V193u2C#/registration
Susan Peghiny of the United States will show a 13 minute film about climate change, focusing on group action and why this is so important. The presentation will also introduce the viewer to an online toolkit with resources for learning, collaborating, and taking action. Susan Peghiny chairs the District 7910 Environmental Action Committee, is a lead on the Rotary Climate Action Now project (RCAN), and has served in several Rotary leadership positions, including past recording secretary for ESRAG.
Feb. 28, Michael Terrelonge will speak on the interaction of environmental issues and disasters at 2 pm UTC. Register here: https://esrag.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0ude-prDkrGtErnCZJdEM_AxRTMaqJltD9#/registration. Michael Terrelonge of Jamaica is Disaster Preparedness Chair for Rotary District 7020 and will report about the mission of the Disaster Network Assistance Rotary Action Group and how their work is adversely affected by environmental or climate issues. He serves as ESRAG’s Director of Technology due to his extensive experience in engineering, IT, and management in multiple organizations, and has served in many Rotary leadership positions.