Civic Engagement on Climate Policy

Tackling global warming has become the defining challenge of our time. While taking responsibility for our personal consumption choices is important, individual action does not match the scale of the problem. What governments do, or do not do, matters much more. This program will explore how ordinary citizens can organize, educate themselves and gain the skills to affect policies at the local, state and federal levels. Panelists include Deb Pasternak ’89, director of the Massachusetts chapter of the Sierra Club; Isuru Seneviratne ’04, a voluntary policy advocate with Citizens’ Climate Lobby; and Joseph Wilson ’64, an activist against oil and gas interests. Alex Barron, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at Smith College, will illuminate how policy meets politics with his experience as Congressional staff and an EPA official. Moderated by Katharine Sims, Associate Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies. This program is one of a tripartite multi-class collaboration on mitigating climate change, along with “Climate Change: Is Education the Solution?” and “Investing with Climate Change in Mind.” Presented by the Classes of 1964, 1989 and 2004.