Dickinson to Durban

Top to Bottom: Inspiring Bottom-up using the Top

October 24th, 2011 | 1 Comment

Sam Parker ’12 Climate change governance and mitigation thus far have taken a very “top-down” approach. One of the best examples of this is the Conference of the Parties (COP) that occur yearly, bringing together government officials from all across the world to discuss climate change and its different aspects. Though, these top-down approaches to global problems often overlook the need for more “bottom-up” or community based approaches to issue that the world faces. As I … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Conservation, Consumption, Environmental Politics, Key COP17 Issues

Mosaic Group to Washington DC

October 24th, 2011 | 3 Comments

By: Anna McGinn ’14 Instead of rolling out of bed and heading to classes as usual, on Thursday, October 20 the students in the Mosaic program traveled to DC to meet with United States negotiators, scientists, and government workers. Over our two days of meeting, we meet with a total of eleven speakers. Each brought a different point of view to the table, labeling different events as successes and failures and focusing on different angles of the problems and possible solutions. Everyone emphasized the need for immediate action on an international scale, but few expressed optimistic sentiments about the upcoming negotiations. One speaker, Jennifer Morgan from the World Resource Institute (WRI), explained a comprehensive plan that would lead the world in the direction of international agreement on actions that need to … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Environmental Politics, Key COP17 Issues, Mosaic Action, Student Research

Can I Get a Translator, Please?

October 24th, 2011 | Add a Comment

By: Christine Burns ’14 On October 20th and 21st, the Mosaic students traveled to Washington D.C. to listen to an eclectic group of well-renowned individuals in the global climate change arena. Two individuals that provided some very interesting insight were Dr. Shalini Vajjhala and Dr. Joel Scheraga from the EPA. Dr. Scheraga has served the EPA in many positions, his current one being the Senior Advisor for Climate Adaptation in the Office of International Affairs. Dr. … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Conservation, Environmental Politics, Featured, Key COP17 Issues, Mosaic Action

Solutions from Industry

October 24th, 2011 | Add a Comment

By:Esther Babson The private sector is and has been a very important player in the climate negotiations. According to Governing Climate Change by Harriet Bulkeley and Peter Newell, recent times have seen a switch in some areas to a more “positive engagement with climate governance initiatives”(92). As learned from Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway, industry’s role typically involves stalling policies and negotiations around climate change. In Governing Climate Change the authors even mention Fred Singer who was a main focus in Merchants of Doubt as a scientist who raised questions about anthropogenic climate change via funds from fossil fuel companies(Bulkely and Newell, 89). Bulkeley and Newell site this strategy of challenging the science of climate change as just one of six different political strategies used to “promote … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Environmental Politics