Political Scientist to Address Latin American Environmental Issues at Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – Political scientist Maria Carmen Lemos will present the fourth annual José Martí Freedom and Struggle in the Americas Lecture on Thursday, March 13 at 4:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library. Her talk, titled "Can Science Save Northeast Brazil? Climate Change, Politics and the Human and Environmental Costs of Drought," is free and open to the public.

Lemos' lecture will address the results of NOAA-funded research on the use of seasonal climate forecasting for drought relief and agricultural policymaking in Latin America. Specifically, her lecture will focus on research conducted in Ceará, Brazil, a semi-arid region particularly vulnerable to severe drought.

Originally from Brazil, Maria Carmen Lemos' research interests focus on public policymaking in Latin America, especially in regards to the environment. A member of the faculty at the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan, Lemos also serves as a senior policy analyst at the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, where she works on U.S./Mexico border environmental issues.

This lecture is sponsored by the Latin American and Latino studies, and the environmental studies departments.