"Nature and Our Future" 2013 Panel Series

Please select a date

New York Academy of Sciences

Directions

The Nature Conservancy and The New York Academy of Sciences are partnering for a second year to present a series of public fora on conservation and conservation science issues of moment. The three-part series will convene world-class thinkers for discussions on several of the most pressing global challenges our planet faces.

The Limits of the Planet: A Debate

March 21, 2013
6:30 — 8:30 p.m.
Pre-registration required. Register now.

Have human activities pushed Earth's resources and ecosystems close to the breaking point -- with massive environmental and social disruption just on the horizon? Or can science provide us innovations that would allow us to overcome many biophysical constraints and keep growing? Leading scientific figures debate whether the best path to sustainability is by stressing limits or innovation.

Featuring Panelists:
Linus Blomqvist, Breakthrough Institute
Victor Galaz, Stockholm Resilience Centre
Erle Ellis, University of Baltimore-Maryland County
Bob Howarth, Cornell University
Diana Liverman, University of Arizona

Past Events:

Where Will the Water of the Future Come From?-

February 28, 2013
6:30 — 8:30 p.m.

Water is already a crisis for billions globally who lack access to clean drinking water or adequate sanitation. And with the effects of climate change on freshwater supplies and increasing demand for food and energy from a human population slated to grow to more than 9 billion over the next 40 years, water resources will be stressed to almost unimaginable levels. Where will the solutions come from--and can we implement them without destroying biodiversity? Experts on water and climate, cities,
corporations, food security and ecosystems discuss the most promising paths forward.

Featuring Panelists:
Brooke Barton, Ceres
Adam Freed, The Nature Conservancy
Peter Gleick, The Pacific Institute
Manu Lall, Earth Institute, Columbia University
Brian Richter, The Nature Conservancy
Fred Pearce, author, "When the Rivers Run Dry" and "The Land Grabbers" (moderator)

Cities and Climate Change: What Aren't We Talking About?

January 24, 2013
6:30 — 8:30 p.m.

The impacts of Hurricane Sandy on New York City and surrounding areas has many urban planners and officials thinking about adapting cities to the effects of climate change in much more urgent and radical terms. What does the science tell us with confidence that cities should be doing to prepare for these effects-- particularly if they are much more intense than previously assumed? And what role can natural habitats play in helping cities prepare?

Featuring Panelists:
Andrew Revkin, New York Times (moderator)
Simon Hales, University of Otago
Nicole Maher, The Nature Conservancy
Rob McDonald, The Nature Conservancy
James S. Russell, Bloomberg News, author, “The Agile City”
William D. Solecki, Hunter College

Video from the January 24 panel "Cities and Climate Change: What Aren't We Talking About?" is available at the following links:
(Part 1 - Minutes 0-44)
(Part 2 - Minutes 45-90)