There are “two cities” emerging in the public mind about climate change. Even more serious is the fact that additional information alone is not enough to bridge the gap between these polarized views. In fact, additional information may just fuel the further polarization of the public discourse on climate change.
This means that new means are needed to enable people to acknowledge the real and pressing problems that will affect their daily lives because there is going to have to be effective public demand for collective action with new policies designed for our collective welfare in the face of the changing climate.
Oxford Martin School
Published on Nov 30, 2015
Oxford Martin School 10th Anniversary Lecture About the speaker Lord Martin Rees is a member of the Oxford Martin School Advisory Council; Fellow of Trinity College; and Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge. He holds the honorary title of Astronomer Royal and also Visiting Professor at Imperial College London and at Leicester University. He is Co-Founder of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge.
After studying at the University of Cambridge, he held post-doctoral positions in the UK and the USA, before becoming a professor at Sussex University. In 1973, he became a fellow of King’s College and Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy at Cambridge (continuing in the latter post until 1991) and served for ten years as director of Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy. From 1992 to 2003 he was a Royal Society Research Professor, and then from 2004 to 2012, Master of Trinity College. In 2005 he was appointed to the House of Lords, and he was President of the Royal Society for the period 2005-10.
He is a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Pontifical Academy, and several other foreign academies. His awards include the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, the Balzan International Prize, the Bruce Medal of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the Heineman Prize for Astrophysics (AAS/AIP), the Bower Award for Science of the Franklin Institute, the Cosmology Prize of the Peter Gruber Foundation, the Einstein Award of the World Cultural Council and the Crafoord Prize (Royal Swedish Academy).
He has been president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (1994-95) and the Royal Astronomical Society (1992-94) and a trustee of the British Museum, NESTA, the Kennedy Memorial Trust, the National Museum of Science and Industry, and the Institute for Public Policy Research. He is currently on the Board of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, the Cambridge Gates Trust, and has served on many bodies connected with education, space research, arms control and international collaboration in science.
He is the author or co-author of more than 500 research papers, mainly on astrophysics and cosmology, as well as eight books (six for general readership), and numerous magazine and newspaper articles on scientific and general subjects. In this lecture, Lord Rees will turn his focus to the future of technology and its impact on the world.
This book talk is hosted by the Oxford Martin School and the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford.
The risks of climate change are potentially immense. The benefits of taking action are also clear: we can see that economic development, reduced emissions, and creative adaptation go hand in hand. A committed and strong low-carbon transition could trigger a new wave of economic and technological transformation and investment, a new era of global and sustainable prosperity. Why, then, are we waiting?
In this book talk, Nicholas Stern explains why, notwithstanding the great attractions of a new path, it has been so difficult to tackle climate change effectively. He makes a compelling case for climate action now and sets out the forms that action should take.
About the author
Lord Stern is I. G. Patel Professor of Economics and Government at the London School of Economics, Member of the Oxford Martin School Advisory Council; President of the British Academy, Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change, and former Chief Economist at the World Bank. He was the lead author of the influential Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, the findings of which he adapted in his book for general readers, The Global Deal: Climate Change and the Creation of a New Era of Progress and Prosperity (also known as A Blueprint for a Safer Planet).
About the book
The risks of climate change are potentially immense. The benefits of taking action are also clear: we can see that economic development, reduced emissions, and creative adaptation go hand in hand. A committed and strong low-carbon transition could trigger a new wave of economic and technological transformation and investment, a new era of global and sustainable prosperity. Why, then, are we waiting? In this book, Nicholas Stern explains why, notwithstanding the great attractions of a new path, it has been so difficult to tackle climate change effectively. He makes a compelling case for climate action now and sets out the forms that action should take.
Stern argues that the risks and costs of climate change are worse than estimated in the landmark Stern Review in 2006 – and far worse than implied by standard economic models. He reminds us that we have a choice. We can rely on past technologies, methods, and institutions – or we can embrace change, innovation, and international collaboration. The first might bring us some short-term growth but would lead eventually to chaos, conflict, and destruction. The second could bring about better lives for all and growth that is sustainable over the long term, and help win the battle against worldwide poverty. The science warns of the dangers of neglect; the economics and technology show what we can do and the great benefits that will follow; an examination of the ethics points strongly to a moral imperative for action. Why are we waiting?
Recorded on 3 June 2015 in Shiekh Zayid Theatre, New Academic Building.
Introducing his new book, Why Are We Waiting? The Logic, Urgency and Promise of Tackling Climate Change Professor Stern will argue that the transition to a low-carbon economy and rapid structural transformations to the world economy provide a story of growth and poverty reduction that is attractive and sustainable.
Nicholas Stern is IG Patel Professor and Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at LSE and President of the British Academy.
Craig Calhoun (@craigjcalhoun) is Director and President of LSE.
The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment (@GRI_LSE) is a research centre at LSE. The Institute’s research looks at the economics of climate change, and aims to inform policy and academic debate.
The Centre for Economic Performance (@CEP_LSE) is an interdisciplinary research centre at the LSE Research Laboratory. It was established by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in 1990 and is now one of the leading economic research groups in Europe.
In the run-up to the Paris Climate Conference (COP21), this debate highlighted the fundamental role that cities can play in reducing global energy demand and limiting carbon emissions. The world’s most respected climate change economist Nicholas Stern confronted these new realities with urban experts and policymakers working across the globe. Speaker: Nicholas Stern Thursday 19 November 2015 | 18:30–20:00 @ LSE https://lsecities.net/media/objects/e…
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Published on Oct 31, 2016
Date: Thursday 27 October 2016 Time: 6.30-8pm Venue: Old Theatre, Old Building Speaker: Professor Lord Stern Chair: Professor Simon Dietz What do we know about innovation, investment, cities and the global agenda, a decade after publication of The Stern Review?
Nicholas Stern (@lordstern1) is the Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the LSE and is currently the President of the British Academy.
Simon Dietz is Co-Director of the ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment (@GRI_LSE) was established by the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2008 to create a world-leading centre for policy-relevant research and training on climate change and the environment, bringing together international expertise on economics, finance, geography, the environment, international development and political economy.
Archive footage of the The James Martin 21st Century School inaugural lecture by Professor Sir Nicholas Stern, HM Treasury: The economics of climate change. Apologies for the lower quality. Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk
Tomorrow, the UN begins its first Climate Summit, enlisting the world to work together on a problem that’s too big for any single country to solve alone. Economist Lord Nicholas Stern helped write a report that outlines where we are now — and what we could do next. It’s a big vision for cooperation, with a payoff that goes far beyond averting disaster. He asks: How can we use this crisis to spur better lives for all?
IMPACT OF SEA-LEVEL RISE ON GREATER BOSTON (0:05) Moderator: John Huth, Donner Professor of Science, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Faculty Codirector of the Science Program, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University (2:11) Ellen Douglas, Graduate Program Director, School for the Environment, and Associate Professor of Hydrology, University of Massachusetts Boston
The practice of integrating trees and animals is discussed by Co-author of Farming the Woods Steve Gabriel along with Brett Chedzoy and Joeseph Orifice as outlined in the book available at http://www.FarmingtheWoods.com This video was produced by the eXtension Forest Farming network for educational use. More videos on forest farming are available at https://www.youtube.com/user/exforest…
Welcome to Transition Studies. To prosper for very much longer on the changing Earth humankind will need to move beyond its current fossil-fueled civilization toward one that is sustained on recycled materials and renewable energy. This is not a trivial shift. It will require a major transition in all aspects of our lives.
This weblog explores the transition to a sustainable future on our finite planet. It provides links to current news, key documents from government sources and non-governmental organizations, as well as video documentaries about climate change, environmental ethics and environmental justice concerns.
The links are listed here to be used in whatever manner they may be helpful in public information campaigns, course preparation, teaching, letter-writing, lectures, class presentations, policy discussions, article writing, civic or Congressional hearings and citizen action campaigns, etc. For further information on this blog see: About this weblog. and How to use this weblog.
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