In early April, HPU sponsored a two-day series of lectures on global warming by Nobel laureate and internationally recognized climatologist, Dr. Stephen Schneider. The Melvin and Joan Lane Professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies addressed a crowd of more than 40 people from HPU and the community, on April 2 at the rRed Elephant in a lecture entitled “Global Warming: Teaching and Learning Complex Science without Oversimplifying.”

In his hour-long lecture, Schneider not only called attention to the complex issue of global warming, he also emphasized that the “community needed to be involved” in its prevention.

Schneider believes the media make it difficult for the community to understand issues surrounding global warming as there are always “competing explanations” for science and that the media will “play [this] up, leading to public confusion.”

During the course of his lecture, Schneider presented earlier and current slides of Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro, revealing it to be an iconic symbol of global warming. About 95 percent of glaciers are shrinking, he said, adding that spring currently arrives two weeks earlier than usual—all signs that global warming is occurring right now.

Schneider admitted to being cynical about the future of our world’s climate, calling for the world’s industry leaders to cooperate rather than compete with each other when it comes to the environment.
Peter Wong, an advertising major at HPU, said he is aware of global warming but attending Schneider’s lecture made him realize he should do something rather than just talk about the issues. “Conserving electricity, using recyclable products, and cutting down on time spent in the shower are just some ways I can contribute to preventing global warming,” he said.

The end of the lecture saw Schneider responding to questions from the audience that ranged from politics to international environmental policies. Despite the somber presentation of global-warming facts, he ended his lecture on a positive note. “It always takes courageous souls to be out there, and we’re moving in the right direction,” he said encouragingly.

According to Dr. Nancy Hedlund, associate vice president of Planning and Assessment who helped organize Schneider’s visit, his “lectures support one of the University’s most important strategic priorities—supporting student learning to create personal commitments to global citizenship.”

For further studies and reports on climate change and global warming, visit Schneider’s Web site at www.climatechange.net