Christian Science Monitor features Gill in article about link between mass shootings and climate change

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

May 27, 2022 News

Jacquelyn Gill, associate professor of paleoecology and plant ecology at the University of Maine, spoke to the Christian Science Monitor for an article about how climate “doomism” fuels extremist violence. Gill said that while most mainstream environmental organizations have backed away from, and even apologized for, their focus on overpopulation during the ’60s and ’70s, the rhetoric still comes up regularly in conversations about climate change. “It’s really hard to get people to accept that consumption is the problem, not how many people there are. And that when we talk about overpopulation, there’s a dog whistle there that a lot of people don’t even realize that they’re blowing,” Gill said. Gill added that so-called “eco-fascists” tend to blame environmental problems on people who have done the least to create climate change, and are already suffering most from its impacts, like immigrants, residents of developing countries and people of color.