Our Society Reimagined 2023 – Climate Change
Our Society Reimagined is a four-week series that provides an opportunity to explore the domestic issues that have shaped our modern society, as well as a chance to gain perspective on the underlying values and ideas that we hold as individuals and as a society, and how these tenets shape our lives.
The 2023 series will take place in person on our Aspen Meadows campus from 6:00-8:00 pm MT on four consecutive Wednesdays, October 18-November 8. Tom Morrison and Clint Kinney will return to moderate the series.
Fee: $195, includes all sessions, refreshments, and reading materials.
The 2023 series is now at capacity. If you’d like to add your name to the waitlist, please email Zoë Brown at zoe.brown@aspeninstitute.org.
Wednesday, October 25
Climate Change
We have all just lived through the hottest summer in human history, with global weather catastrophes hitting the news daily. Will this change our individual behavior and our collective political focus, or will our dysfunctional politics and our human tendency to focus on the short-term overpower our summer experience? Numerous efforts are being employed to address climate change. Should we rely more on individual behavior change or engineered solutions? Are we too quick to accept new technologies as easy solutions without considering unintended consequences? Unfortunately, carbon offsets have, in many cases, resulted in greenwashing. The Inflation Reduction Act has provided extensive subsidies for renewable energy, but many local governments are creating zoning barriers for renewable energy projects and taxing electric vehicles to fight these subsidies. As countries backtrack on their commitments, the limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius set by the Paris Climate Accord will likely be breached. Will climate engineering, as frightening as it is, be necessary to protect our planet? How do we find solutions that can achieve broad public support?