Social Cohesion and Climate Change Resilience

The sounds of the basketball tournament were drowned out as Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House executive director, Selvin Chambers, announced the start of the Zumba class. The Hoops for Health event, put on by the Cambridge Public Health Department’s Men’s Health League, was a huge success. The event consisted of a basketball tournament, a free Zumba class, live music, and display tables by various community organizations. The purpose of the event was to encourage residents to interact and get familiar with the organizations that are active in their community, as well as gain insight into the resources they offer.

In partnership with the Cambridge Public Health Department, JSI was at this event giving people resources with guidance on what to do in extreme heat and flooding.

While our current federal administration has attempted to mute the words ‘climate change,’ the threat that climate change poses is growing. In the Boston area, residents are affected by various climate change-related events such as extreme heat, flooding, and snow. The densely populated Cambridge Port neighborhood is particularly vulnerable to climate change and has experienced significant flooding recently. In the City of Cambridge’s assessment on climate change vulnerability, the City projects that the risk of extreme heat and flooding in the Port is expected to increase in the coming years.

In this video, Cambridge residents share how they think climate change has affected them. This video was created by JSI with the Cambridge Public Health Department and community leaders. It also highlights ways in which communities can increase resilience to climate change and better prepare to deal with extreme events.

This blog was authored by Carina Vargas-Nunez, a former JSI Environmental Health Intern.