For the last five years, the Aspen Institute and National Geographic have joined forces on the Aspen Environment to gather a broad spectrum of key thought leaders for rich and engaging dialogue on the challenges of reconciling Earth's finite resources with its ability to sustain our expanding human needs. Provocative and lively discussions have covered early thinking including the Anthropocene: Age of Man and the implications that a population of 9 Billion by mid-century has on the carrying capacity of the Planet.The 2011 Forum created buzz around themes such as the importance of reproductive rights as central to managing climate change.

For the 5th year of the Forum, our theme,  Living in the New Normal was based on the science from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA)  report on climate "normals"; for the US, which documents that the country's long-term average temperature has warmed by half a degree in the last decade. These new climate normals set the baseline for our discussion about how the planet and its people must adapt to this new environmental paradigm. The Forum focused on addressing solutions for adapting to the greatest challenge of our time.