Perspectives on Climate Change
Climate change is no longer a question of fact or fiction, but a reality we must face as a global community. But what are the implications in academic communities, and how do they translate off-campus? Six professors from across the College contemplate the potential impact of climate change on their fields and research, and on the world at-large.
Keith Mountain
Associate Professor and Chair (Emeritus), Geography & Geosciences
"The need is to foster a dialogue that looks at the consequences of climate change in a pragmatic, factual (traceable), broadly interpretable and meaningful manner."
Lauren Heberle
Associate Professor of Sociology/Director, Center for Environmental Policy and Management (EFC4)
"People make social structures and institutions do what they do, and therefore people can choose to do something different and contest accepted practice."
David Simpson
Professor of Community Development, Fifth Third Bank | Chair, Urban & Public Affairs | Director, Master of Urban Planning Program
"There are many impacts on our communities from climate change – from sea level rise, increasing storm intensities, extreme heat or cold, or prolonged drought – all of which produce challenges for urban systems and infrastructures."
Avery Kolers
Professor of Philosophy | Director, Social Change minor program | Core faculty member, Interdisciplinary MA in Bioethics & Medical Humanities
"Global warming is not just one moral issue, but a dense web of moral issues. Which implies that there is one “meta” issue: what should I do, given that I am not yet sure what I should do?"
Sarah Emery
Associate Professor of Biology
"While the future can appear bleak, scientists who work to understand the consequences of climate change for all life on our planet may help us develop ways to adapt."
Ian Stansel
Assistant Professor of English
"It feels as if the world is at war with itself, a snake devouring its own tail. And so we see storytellers channeling that anxiety into tales of desperation and precarious survival."
