Nov 11 Evening at Egan: "Is Long-term Climate Policy Politically Feasible?” with JWAC forum keynote Detlef Sprinz
In his talk Sprinz will explore: What is the capacity for democratic institutions to respond to science? How can governments pursue long-term policies that impact large segments of society, where delay or failure to act prevents a return at least to the present state?
Juneau, Alaska
Date of Press Release: November 7, 2011
The keynote speaker for the 2011 Juneau World Affairs Council forum "The Politics of Climate Change" will present at the next Evening at Egan at the University of Alaska Southeast. “Is Long-term Climate Policy Politically Feasible?” is the title of the talk by Detlef F. Sprinz of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. The forum brings together international experts on climate change and the threat of water shortages, human rights concerns and international security.
In his talk Sprinz will explore: What is the capacity for democratic institutions to respond to science? How can governments pursue long-term policies that impact large segments of society, where delay or failure to act prevents a return at least to the present state?
The forum opens with a Thursday evening forum moderated by UAS Provost Rick Caulfield from 7:00 PM - 9:30 p.m., November 10 in the Egan Library. Setting the Stage is a panel discussion featuring four scientists on the current state of the science of climate change and the contrarian view: Brendan Kelly Deputy, Director of the Arctic Research Division of the National Science Foundation; Terry Chapin, one of the nation’s leading ecologists and the only Alaskan appointed to the National Academy of Sciences; Patrick Michaels, Senior Research Fellow for Research and Economic Development at George Mason University and Syun-Ichi Akasofu, International Arctic Research Center founding director (UAF). The JWAC forum runs through Sunday, November 12 at the UAS Egan Building. For a complete schedule, event locations and bios of speakers please see the website at www.jwac.org.
Evening at Egan and Keynote speaker Detlef Sprinz is a Senior Scientist with the Research Domain “Transdisciplinary Concepts & Methods” of PIK—Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, a Professor with the Department of Economic and Social Sciences at the University of Potsdam, Germany, and Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency, Copenhagen.
He holds a Ph.D. and a M.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, and an M.A. (“Diplom-Volkswirt”) in Economics from the University of the Saarland, Saarbrücken, Germany. During 2006-2007, he was a Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan, MI, USA, and in 2011, he was appointed Professor at the University of Potsdam, Germany.
His areas of research and publications encompass long-term policy, international institutions & the evaluation of their performance, European & international environmental policy, and modeling political decisions. He is a member of the European Academy, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany; and serves on the advisory boards of national, European, and international projects and institutions. See www.sprinz.org for further details.
For complete information on the UAS Evening at Egan series visit uas.alaska.edu/eganlecture.