Bard College
February 1, 2008

Stabilizing the Climate in the 21st Century

See info on all the panelists here

Statement of William H. Schlesinger, President,
Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook to The Town of Washington Planning Board regarding policies of wetland and watercourses here

Focus the Nation--a strong commitment by Bard College

Bard College put itself in the forefront of the global warming/climate change debate by hosting an impressive day-long forum on climate change. Director of the conference Laurie Husted deserves special mention for her professional and impressive handling of this massive effort. Despite treacherous winter weather, the talks were very well attended---and not only by students. Many local residents, and local, county and state officials were in attendance. Bard president Leon Botstein spoke eloquently of the need to address this issue, and joined in with 500 other colleges in a pledge to become "carbon neutral" in the college's energy consumption and use of the earth's resources.

Here once again Bard has seen the future, and is heading its ship toward that future, once again as one of the first to do so. Bard has made a commitment to the sciences with impressive faculty hiring in the field, followed by a brand new chemistry building as well as strong connections to Rockefeller University in New York City. Bard has also established a graduate school for Environmental Policy, and has long had a strong bond with Erik Kiviat, one of the Nation's foremost freshwater biologists. They also reached out and included William Schlesinger, new president of the Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook in Friday's panels. Dr Schlesinger is a new arrival in the area, after having served as head of Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment, an institute which became one of the pre-eminent "think tanks' on the environment while under his stewardship. Bard's emphasis on the sciences at this time goes along very well with a strong commitment to the environment , and we in the Hudson Valley look forward to their international leadership in this matter. We thank them , and look forward to seeing an educational day on the environment at Bard EVERY year.
At the Focus the Nation conference at Bard College we heard about the chilling economic effects of sprawl via the huge 'hidden subsidies' to outlying developments from sewer and water hook-ups and new road construction, almost all paid for by Joe Citizen out of his tax bill.

Now the New York Times tells us that in New York City alone, "The New York real estate industry,racing to beat strict new limits on campaign contributions, has been flooding city candidates with donations at a rate THREE AND FOUR TIMES that in previous election cycles. NY Times (Feb 1)
This comes as no surprise to us in Red Hook where last May's local vote on the Community Preservation Act was preceded by unprecedented interference not only from Dutchess County Association of Realtors---who put up a website in opposition----but also New York State real estate groups. These groups fielded phone calls, put up signs opposing the measure---many times late at night---and indeed sent local agents in to harangue seniors meeting to be told about newly available housing----except that the meeting was falsely billed, and they only heard one side of the Community Preservation Act story. Guess who's side? Red Hook's voters ignored them and passed the CPA, at which point they threatened legal action and tried to nullify votes cast in the Barrytown district which included some Bard students.

This fall's election saw large amounts of money pouring into GOP candidates in Red Hook from this same group, only to have the voters rebel once again---the GOP only won one of the six contested seats.
 

Panel discussion 1: “Applied Science and Technology Solutions”

This panel will focus on the technological and scientific challenges of stabilizing climate change and the numerous solutions available that are needed to tackle the problem.  Looking towards the future, panelists will discuss the role of carbon sequestration, alternative energy, alternative technology, forestry and land practices, and agriculture to move us towards a sustainable future.

Panelists: William Schlesinger, president, Institute for Ecosystem Studies; Matthew Deady, professor of physics; Catherine O’Reilly, professor of biology; Jennifer Phillips, BCEP faculty member.
Moderator: Felicia Keesing professor of biology.
 

Panel discussion 2: “Motivating Change”

How can writers and thinkers who are not directly involved in social science or environmental sciences impact future discourse on climate change?  This panel will explore the real weight of acts of the imagination through theories of the post-human as they relate to global warming, eco-criticism in literary studies, and the relationship between scientists and ethicists.

Panelists:  Rabbi L. Troster, Bard chaplain; Deirdre d’Albertis, professor of English; Susan Rogers, professor of writing; Geoffrey Sanborn, professor of literature.
Moderator: Daniel Berthold, professor of philosophy.
 

Panel discussion 3: “Growing a Solution”

What risk does climate variability pose to our food system?  What are the environmental as well as socio-economic costs of a global food system?  What alternatives exist to the current food production and distribution system and what will our food system look like in the future?  Speaking to the IPCC framework of mitigation and adaptation, four panelists will talk on agriculture as a contributor to greenhouse gas and a system made vulnerable by climate change; food miles and the New York City foodshed; the role of the distributor; and needed changes for resilient farming systems and the sensible future of food.

Panelists: Gidon Eshel, Bard Center Visiting Fellow at Simon’s Rock; Conrad Vispo, farm ecologist, Hawthorn Valley; Bill Jordan, Jordan Energy and Food Enterprises.

Moderator: Jennifer Phillips, BCEP faculty member, Bard College. Other talks by Eshel here

For information provided by Gidon Eshel in his presentation click here

Other talks by Eshel here
 

Panel discussion 4: “What About China?”

Today China’s energy consumption is roughly 20% of the OECD country total, oil imports are rising 9% per year, and the economic growth rate hovers at 7-10% a year.  Can current policies on emissions reduction and energy efficiency solve environmental pollution problems without sacrificing China’s capacity of economic growth?  Furthermore, why have Chinese intellectuals and political leaders during the past century continually adopted a development strategy focused on emulating Europe's and North America's technologically advanced industrial economies? This panel will explore the geopolitical and scientific implications of these developments along with their intellectual and historical roots.

Panelists: Robert Culp, professor of history; Chunyan Chai, BCEP graduate student.
Moderator: Hoyt J. Long, professor of Japanese Literature.
 

Panel discussion 5: “

Global warming and climate change is fundamentally an economic issue about how much we as a society value a healthy planet. The primary reason that governments are reluctant to regulate greenhouse gas emissions is that leaders fear negative economic consequences. Are these theoretical costs real, and if so, how do they compare to the cost of inaction? This panel will seek to address some of these themes by discussing how various policies have contributed to and could help reduce environmental damage. Topics to be discussed include pollution cap-and-trade vs. pollution taxes, and land use policies.

Panelists: Kris Feder, professor of economics; Gautam Sethi, BCEP faculty member; David Cassuto, Pace University School of Law.

Moderator: John Cronin, director and chief executive officer of The Beacon Institute and director of the Pace Academy for the Environment at Pace University.
 

“Green Democracy” Roundtable discussion with elected officials, moderated by Leon Botstein.

President Botstein & Political leaders will make brief opening statements, followed by questions from the student discussants to engage these leaders in discussion of issues raised during the day.

Marc Molinaro, state assemblyman; Peter Iwanowicz, Director of Governor Spitzer’s Climate Change Office; Mike Russo, Director of Congresswoman’s Kirsten E. Gillibrand’s New York State Office; Bard College Students – Chris Herring (Democrat), Ben Bliumis (Independent), Kit Martin (Republican).

 

Panel discussion 6: “Motivating Change: The Politics of Change”

The global climate crisis has the potential to provoke new forms of political action that synthesize expert knowledge, popular movements, governmental policy, and corporate engagement.  Lacking earlier means of coercing policy change, such as strong union or corporatist structures, and confronted by a problem that demands complex solutions, the present crisis demands a rethinking of earlier paradigms for changing human behavior. By sketching the history of political change in relation to the environment, and outlining the present constellation of North American and world policy options, this panel will attempt to suggest creative channels, and to highlight troublesome problems, for large-scale change.

Panelists: Mark Lindeman, professor of political studies; Mark Lytle, professor of history; Gregory Moynahan, professor of history; Roberto Velez-Velez, visiting lecturer in sociology.

Moderator: Mark Lytle, professor of history
 

Panel discussion 7: “Local Responses – Partnerships for Solutions”

Though global warming is such a complex planetary force that it seems beyond the control of rural and urban communities it can be addressed by the collective action of every community, especially where national leadership lacks the initiative to address global warming.  This panel will explore how communities like Red Hook, Kingston, and Bard are the essential agents for national and global change.  These communities have short term needs that might not agree with world wide concerns, but this panel will address those disagreements and explain how to invigorate our communities to be active and aware in the face of global warming.

Panelists: Jim Brudvig, vice president for administration, Bard College; Melissa Everett, director, Sustainable Hudson Valley; Kristin Marcell, Department of Environmental Conservation, climate change; Scudder H. Parker, energy consultant.

Moderator: John Cronin, director and chief executive officer of The Beacon Institute and director of the Pace Academy for the Environment at Pace University
To be uploaded after transferring from tape