11 April 2011

Three Talks in Boston This Week

On Wednesday, April 13th I'll be speaking at Brandeis University:
Disasters and Climate Change: The Science and The Politics
5pm-6pm, Heller Schneider G3
Brandeis University
On Thursday, April 14th at 11am I'll be speaking at MIT:
Scientists in Policy and Politics
MIT Program in Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate
11am-Noon 54-915

Scientists, and experts more generally have choices about the roles that they play in today's political debates on topics such as global warming, genetically modified foods, and food and drug safety, just to name a few. This talk is about understanding these choices, their theoretical and empirical bases, what considerations are important to think about when deciding, and the consequences for the individual scientist and the broader scientific enterprise.
Then later that day at MIT, if I am still coherent, I'll be speaking at 5PM:
The Climate Fix
MIT Energy Club, MIT Program in Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate, and MIT Science Policy Initiative
5-6pm, E51-325

The world’s response to climate change is deeply flawed. The conventional wisdom on how to deal with climate change has failed and it’s time to change course. To date, climate policies have been guided by targets and timetables for emissions reduction derived from various academic exercises. Such methods are both oblivious to and in violation of on-the-ground political and technological realities that serve as practical “boundary conditions” for effective policy making. Until climate policies are designed with respect for these boundary conditions, failure is certain. Using nothing more than arithmetic and logical explanation, this talk provides a comprehensive exploration of the problem and a proposal for a more effective way forward.