Teach-In on climate change, need for action set at LMU

A “teach-in” on climate change to underscore the need for personal action and discuss concrete steps individuals can take to combat global warming will be presented March 21 at Loyola Marymount University.The event (4:30-6 p.m.) will focus on the question: “What, people ask, can we do? More immediately, what can I, one lone person, do?” Four faculty members will give short, provocative presentations and LMU president David W. Burcham will moderate the discussion. The public is encouraged to participate in the teach-in. “Climate change presents us with perhaps the most daunting environmental, political, economic, and ethical challenge of the 21st century,” said Brian Treanor, associate professor of philosophy and director of the Environmental Studies Program. “Although the causes of climate change are quite clear, and range of potential consequences quite dire, many people do not list climate change among their top concerns, personally or politically.”The reasons for this disconnect are no doubt varied, added Treanor, noting that a key factor is due to “the overwhelming feeling of impotence many feel in the face of such a massive, complex challenge.” Treanor will speak on “Individual and Collective Action.” Other faculty participants and the prompts they will present are: —Sean D'Evelyn, assistant professor of economics, “The Economics of Climate Change.”—Eric Strauss, president’s professor of biology and director of the Center for Urban Resilience, “Sustainable Architecture and Green Space.”—Shelley Luce, lecturer in environmental science, “Water Resources: Reducing Our Water Footprint.”The event takes place in St. Robert’s Hall Auditorium, 1 LMU Dr., Los Angeles. Information: (310) 338-3711. {gallery width=100 height=100}gallery/2013/0315/olaclimate/{/gallery}