From clean air to climate action: A conversation on human health and the environment

At the 26th annual Barnes Lecture, environmental law expert and former U.S. Special Envoy Monica Medina issued a stark warning about the urgent health and safety risks posed by climate change, urging sustained public attention and investment in science-driven systems like NOAA to safeguard lives and the planet.

On April 28, the Brown University School of Public Health held the 26th annual Barnes Lecture—a conversation between Dean Ashish K. Jha and Monica Medina, J.D., Arnhold Senior Distinguished Fellow at Conservation International.

The event also marked the launch of the school's newest research unit, the Center for Climate, Environment & Health, which measures and analyzes health risks in our environment, working to understand and reduce the negative health outcomes they cause.

Before assuming her role at Conservation International, Medina served as the first woman president and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society. From 2021 to 2023, she was the assistant secretary of state for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, as well as the first U.S. Special Envoy for Biodiversity and Water Resources at the State Department. ​​From 2011 to 2013, she served as special assistant to the secretary of defense, and from 2009 to 2012, as principal deputy under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

A lawyer by training, Medina began her career working for the U.S. Army’s Office of the General Counsel, where her client was the Army Corps of Engineers. This role marked the beginning of her path in environmental law. But her real passion for environmental issues began with the birth of her daughter. “She was diagnosed with asthma and as a mother watching her struggle to breathe, I felt a deep urgency,” she said. “I knew then that I needed to be part of efforts that help kids like her—addressing the health threats posed by pollution.”

After working on rivers and floods with the Army Corps of Engineers, Medina became a Clean Air Act lawyer in Congress. That role evolved into a career focused on environmental health—working on endangered species and genomic spillover. Throughout these years, the link between health and the environment kept reappearing as a central theme, with climate change as an increasing focus.

Medina cautioned that we can’t afford to stop talking about climate change just because it’s politically inconvenient. “Climate change is real,” she said. “It’s a fact, and we need to talk about it in ways that help people see how it affects their health, the price of groceries, and the natural world. For instance, we’re seeing coral reefs die off and species like elephants and tigers lose their habitats. These aren’t far-off possibilities—they’re happening now.”

A former official at NOAA, Medina addressed the recent mass layoffs at the agency and efforts to privatize its weather forecasting services. “The accuracy of your local weather forecast depends heavily on global weather models, which in turn rely on foundational data collected by NOAA,” she said. “That basic data—like atmospheric pressure, temperature and wind patterns—gets transformed into digestible forecasts by local TV stations or the weather apps on your phone. But without NOAA’s data collection, none of those accurate forecasts would be possible.”

For Medina, what makes NOAA’s data so valuable is its consistency over time. In many locations, NOAA has been collecting data in the same way, in the same places, for over a century. That long-term consistency is what makes the models reliable.

“NOAA is a very lean agency; there isn’t a lot of fat to trim,” she said. “So when budget cuts are made—especially the way they’ve been done recently, based on seniority or political influence—it can be really destabilizing. For example, a well-connected member of Congress might be able to get cuts reversed in their district, while another district without that influence just loses out. That’s not how a critical public service should be managed.”

The U.S. experiences far more diverse and extreme weather events than most large countries, Medina noted, making accurate forecasting essential for public safety and economic stability.

“I truly worry about what happens if we let this system degrade,” she said. “It’s not just about day-to-day forecasts—it’s about the extreme weather alerts that protect lives. And these are incredibly small investments—pennies per day per taxpayer—that yield massive benefits in safety, security and economic stability.”

About the Barnes Lecture

The Barnes Lecture, established in 2000, is named in honor of Dr. Frederick W. Barnes who joined Brown in 1962 as a founding faculty member of Brown’s then new program in medicine. Dr. Barnes was passionate about educating future physicians within the context of a liberal arts environment like Brown. He began teaching the undergraduate course The Informative Way of Life, which became wildly popular among students.

One of those students, James S. Zisson, endowed the lectureship in memory of his parents, viewing Dr. Barnes as the quintessential physician-scholar. Mr. Zisson graduated from Brown with honors in 1974, launching a career spanning entrepreneurship, investment management and leadership in the music industry as general manager of A&M Records. He also co-founded the Palm Healthcare Foundation and the Norma and Ian M. Zisson Comprehensive Breast Cancer Center of the Palm Beaches, in addition to serving on numerous boards as a trustee.

The School of Public Health remains grateful to Mr. Zisson: his dedication to public health will continue through the legacy of this lectureship and his enduring generosity.