Climate Science and Solutions - Westminster Forum

Climate Science and Solutions - Spring 2022 at the Forum

This spring, the Westminster Town Hall Forum is presenting a series of programs on one of the most pressing issues facing humanity: climate change.

Five women on the forefront of climate science and policy will speak at the Forum.

• Online Now: Dr. Katharine Hayhoe: The Case for Climate Hope

• March 11 (7 pm): Dr. Danielle Wood, Using Space Technology to Improve Life

• March 25: Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore, Climate Solutions Rooted in the Soil

• April 6: Elizabeth Kolbert, The Nature of the Future

• April 27: Colette Pinchon-Battle Advancing Equity Through Ethical Climate Adaptations

Together, these speakers will illuminate the ways climate change is already impacting our lives and what we can do to change course. Their focus will be solutions, which we hope will inspire more Minnesotans to not just think about climate change, but act.

Join in-person or online

The next four programs in our spring season will be in-person at Westminster. We will follow Westminster Covid-safety protocols and hope you will join us! All Forums will also be live-streamed on our website and on our Facebook page. We are investing time, resources, and talent in our live-stream capabilities so you can watch or listen to these programs wherever works best for you.

Support

All these programs are entirely free and open to all, both in-person and online. That's thanks to supporters like you. Please consider supporting the Town Hall Forum which you can do online here.

MPR Broadcast

The entire spring season will be broadcast as a special week of program on Minnesota Public Radio. One talk will air each day at noon the week of April 25 – 29.

The Talks

This series is presented in partnership with the McKnight Foundation. A family foundation based in Minnesota, McKnight advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive.

Dr. Katharine Hayhoe

The Case for Climate Hope

What is there to be hopeful about when it comes to climate change? What good can talking about climate really do? A lot, say Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy and author of the new book, Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. This inspiring virtual presentation is available to view now on our website.

Dr. Danielle Wood

Using Space Technology to Improve Life

Friday, March 11, 7 p.m. (Evening Forum)

How can cutting edge technology initially developed for space exploration help mitigate or reverse climate change? Danielle Wood directs M.I.T.’s Space Enabled Research Group. For her talk at the Westminster Town Hall Forum, she’ll discuss ways space-age breakthroughs in science and engineering can be used to combat climate change.

Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore

Climate Solutions Rooted in the Soil

Friday March 25, Noon

Agriculture plays a huge role in adding to our climate crisis. Can it also be part of the solution? Lisa Schulte Moore directs the Landscape Ecology and Sustainable Ecosystem Management Lab at Iowa State University. Her lab works with farmers to develop means of producing food that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect biodiversity.

Elizabeth Kolbert

The Nature of the Future

Wednesday April 6, Noon

Pulitzer prize-winner Elizabeth Kolbert’s groundbreaking book The Sixth Extinction woke up millions to the devastating consequences of climate change. In her new book, Under the White Sky, she explores whether human intervention in the climate is ironically our best hope for surviving the crisis we’ve created. She’ll speak at the Forum about the scientists and engineers she’s met across the globe looking for ways to avert catastrophe.

Colette Pinchon Battle

Advancing Equity Through Ethical Climate Adaptations

Wednesday April 27, Noon

The consequences of climate change are already shaping people’s lives. Is it possible to respond to climate impacts in ways that advance racial justice? Colette Pinchon Battle is the founder of the Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy where she advocates for climate change mitigation and adaptation with racial justice and equity at its core. In her talk for the Forum, she will discuss the ways we can tackle climate change and advance equity.

We are grateful these five inspiring women have agreed to address the Westminster Town Hall Forum this spring. Climate change is here and all of us must act to change its trajectory. We hope these programs help spark courage and action in our community and beyond.

If you can, please support this series and the Town Hall Forum with a donation today. You can give online here: Donate.

Thank you and we hope to see you at the Forum this spring!

The Westminster Town Hall Forum is free and open to all .