Countdown to the Paris Climate Summit Panel: What’s at Stake?

The forthcoming climate summit in Paris – officially the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change (or COP-21) – will no doubt prove the most significant climate negotiations of modern times. Parties to the convention, including the US, China, the EU, India, Brazil, and most other nations, have pledged to adopt measures intended to prevent global warming from exceeding 2 degrees Celsius – the maximum amount of warming, scientists believe, that the Earth can endure without experiencing catastrophic climate effects, such as substantial sea-level rise and the collapse of rain-fed agriculture. Accordingly, this may prove the last opportunity we humans have to take collective action to prevent such calamities. Join us for a series of panels led by faculty, students, and community members as we consider the importance of COP-21, the scientific, political, and ethical issues that these negotiations raise, as well as opportunities for action. Speakers include: Kelly Bitov, Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Law and Human Rights, Betsy Hartmann, Professor Emerita of Development Studies,, Michael Klare, Five College Professor of Peace and World Security Studies, Jonathan Lash, President, Hampshire College, Steve Roof, Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, Seeta Sistla, Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Ecology, Perry Zurn, Visiting Assistant Professor of Applied Ethics, as well as student and community organizations, including Hampshire College’s Climate Justice League; Mothers Out Front, Pioneer Valley; ARISE for Social Justice, Springfield.