Clark to Host Panels, Lecture on Global Change and Sustainability

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Jeffrey Starr, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

William C. Clark

In recognition of the 25th anniversary of the landmark Clark symposium“ The Earth Transformed by Human Action”, the University will be holding a series of free, public events on Tuesday, April 2.

A quarter century ago, “The Earth Transformed by Human Action" symposium highlighted international research tracing the effect of human activity on the global environment for the previous 300 years. To this day, humanity continues to face fundamental questions explored at the conference about the fate of the biosphere and the capacity of both nature and society to sustain life.

“Twenty-five years ago, an international symposium at Clark—“The Earth as Transformed by Human Action”(ET)—and a landmark book of the same name became international points of reference in discussions of and debates on global change and sustainability. ET greatly increased the visibility of global change and human-environment work at Clark. Together with other initiatives, it helped lay the foundation for the creation of the George Perkins Marsh Institute as well as more recent work in Earth System Science and Sustainability Science," said Robert J. Johnston, director of the George Perkins Marsh Institute and professor in the Department of Economics.

Two panel discussions featuring Clark faculty will showcase and explore future directions for a sample of the global-change research underway at Clark. Panel Discussion #1 will take place at at12:45 pm in the Higgins University Center's Lurie Conference Room and focus on the topic of "Global Change and Adaptation"; it will feature professors Karen Frey, Ron Eastman, Colin Polsky, and moderator Tony Bebbington. Panel Discussion #2 will take place at 2:15 pm in the same room, and focus on the topic of "Social Transitions and Global Change". It will feature professors Jennie Stephens, Timothy Downs, James Murphy, and moderator Robert Johnston.

The Albert, Norma and Howard ’77 Geller Endowed Lecture will be delivered by William C. Clark, Harvey Brooks Professor of International Science, Public Policy and Human Development, at Harvard University. It is entitled “From Earth Transformed to Sustainability Science” and will take place at 4 pm in Tilton Hall, 2nd floor at Higgins University Center. Commentary will be given by Robert W. Kates of Brown University and B.L. Turner II of Arizona State University, both formerly of Clark’s Graduate School of Geography. The moderator will be Professor Deborah Martin.

"Next week, we will recognize ET and reflect on subsequent directions that have been taken by work on sustainability and global change, both at Clark and elsewhere. We look forward to welcoming three members of the National Academy of Sciences back to Clark, two of whom are past directors of the Graduate School of Geography. Several of the faculty who were involved in the conceptualization and realization of ET—faculty in our Graduate School of Geography and what was formerly Clark’s Environmental School--still work here,” said Johnston

These events are jointly sponsored by the Graduate School of Geography, the George Perkins Marsh Institute, and the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise. For more details see the Clark event page.