On Friday night, Hampshire College hosted a Focus the Nation teach-in with nine different faculty
panelists. As the juicy title (Climate, Social Justice, and the Person) suggests, the panelists spoke about climate change within the context of very different disciplines- we had an economist, a computer science professor, and a professor of Asian studies, just to name a few of those who spoke. One of the main goals of Focus the Nation is to show how climate change is not just an "environmental" issue that concerns scientists and tree huggers (obviously!)
Here are a few things that were brought up that really got me thinking:
-Gender issues in climate change. (Women can be affected very differently then men. For example, in Bangladesh when the 2007 cyclone hit, more women were killed because they weren't in public spaces to be warned about the natural disaster.)
-The idea of rationing. Professor Stan Warner talked about rationing post WWI style. Will we only be allowed two plane trips a year? etc.
-Holding drivers accountable through taxing-type systems. (Live near a reliable bus system? You'll be "taxed" much more to drive. Live in a rural town and need to drive to the supermarket? You'll be "taxed" much less. Taxed is in quotations because it may not be an official "tax" but some sort of similar system.)
-Religion's potential role in the movement. (How can religious leaders inspire people to evaluate their relationship with the earth and how to care for it, and inspire this compassion in all people, religious and non?)
It was a great night with well over seventy five students (that was the number we had food for, and we ran out pretty quick.) Professor Stephanie Levin commented that when she was in school, this is exactly what students were doing to learn more about how to stop the Vietnam war- inviting faculty from all different areas, and engaging in community discussion.
As students, we know and respect the power of community dialogue. It's about raising awareness and motivating to action. We're in it for the long haul.
PS
You can also check out a neat Hampshire video bit about the event.
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