Nicole Hernandez Hammer

Nicole Hernandez Hammer is an American climate scientist and activist studying sea-level rise and the disproportionate impacts of climate change on communities of color. She is a climate advocate for the Union of Concerned Scientists and former deputy director of the Florida Center for Environmental Studies.

Nicole Hernandez Hammer
Hernandez Hammer in 2017
Born
Guatemala
Alma mater
Known forSea level rise research, Environmental justice activism, Climate change

Early life and education

Nicole Hernandez Hammer was born to Oscar Hernandez and Maria Eugenia Estrada, in Guatemala of Cuban heritage. Her brother is the actor Oscar Isaac.[1] At the age of four, her family migrated to the US.[2] When Hernandez-Hammer was an infant, her family experienced a substantial earthquake and when she was a teenager, a hurricane hit her home in Miami. She and her family lost everything.[3][4][5] She earned an M.S. in biology from Florida Atlantic University, and an MBA from Palm Beach Atlantic University.[5]

Research and career

Research
Nicole Hernandez Hammer, 2017

Hammer's research is focused on how climate change is affecting communities of color and low-income communities.[6][7][8] Hammer made the connection that Latino populations were the most vulnerable to sea level rise compared to other populations.[6] With this information, she was determined to spread the message through outreach and further research. In 2013, Hammer was a part of the 2013 Climate Assessment of Southeast US to further assess the damage of infrastructure due to sea level rise and has done many interviews and publications on the effects of sea level rise on communities of color.[8][4]

Public outreach

Hammer is involved in outreach to the general public. She and her work have been discussed in outlets including The New York Times,[4] The Washington Post,[2] The New Yorker,[9] NBC,[6] National Geographic,[10] and NPR.[11] In 2016, Hammer attended the Climate March and spoke to several news networks on how important research funding from the government is for tracking the changes of the earth from climate change.[12][5] She was also on panel for Amy Poehler's Smart Girls where she talked about the disproportionate impacts of climate change on communities of color.[13] In general, she communicates on how important it is for the government to become involved in combating climate change for future generations.[12]

Additionally, Hammer has done outreach in the political sphere as well. She has spoken at the Democratic National Convention in June 2016 on how climate change is an immediate concern for the country through the effects of rising sea levels on vulnerable Latino communities. She communicated direct immediate actions the government can take to relieve the stresses of rising sea levels and pollution on Latino communities.[14]

Her public outreach also extends to Latino communities to make climate change information more accessible to those who need it most. While working at Moms Clean Air Force, she worked to develop Spanish outreach materials on climate change so that individuals can arm themselves with information they need to protect themselves.[2] Additionally, while working at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit that informs people about climate change, she led climate change adaptation projects for not only Latino communities but all communities of color.[13] Her goal is to help to inform Latino voters on issues of climate change and empower them to talk to their local officials.[15]

Honors and awards

In 2015, Hammer was invited to the State of the Union Address by First Lady Michelle Obama to spread awareness about climate change and its effects on communities of color.[16]

References
  1. "Latina Climate Scientist To Watch State Of The Union With Michelle Obama". Think Progress. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  2. Eilperin, Juliet (January 20, 2015). "With SOTU guest, Obama defies climate skeptics". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  3. "Climate Gets a Seat". NRDC. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  4. Davenport, Coral (2015-02-09). "Climate Is Big Issue for Hispanics, and Personal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  5. "Ask a Scientist - April 2017". Union of Concerned Scientists. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  6. "5 Questions: Latina Climate Scientist On Carbon Emissions Rule". NBC News. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  7. Hernandez-Hammer, Nicole (August 2014). "How Climate Change Will Affect Water Utilities". Journal American Water Works Association.
  8. Bloetscher, Frederick; Berry, Leonard; Moody, Kevin; Hammer, Nicole Hernandez (2013). "Climate Change and Transportation in the Southeast USA". Climate of the Southeast United States. pp. 109–127. doi:10.5822/978-1-61091-509-0_6. ISBN 978-1-59726-427-3.
  9. Kolbert, Elizabeth (14 December 2015). "The Siege of Miami". The New Yorker.
  10. National Geographic (2016-11-03), Flooding in Miami | Years of Living Dangerously, retrieved 2019-02-11
  11. "Nicole Hernandez Hammer". Source of the Week. 2017-07-13. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  12. The Real News Network (2017-04-29), Nicole Hernandez Hammer: People's Climate March, retrieved 2019-02-11
  13. BUILD Series (2017-04-26), Amy Poehler's Smart Girls Panel, retrieved 2019-02-11
  14. Democratic National Convention (2016-06-23), DemPlatform Hearing Phoenix Day 1 Nicole Hernandez-Hammer, retrieved 2019-02-11
  15. "STEM Occupy". Yes She Can. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  16. "Meet Nicole Hernandez Hammer, a Guest of the First Lady at the State of the Union". whitehouse.gov. 2015-01-19. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
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