Today, the Mind & Life Institute announced a special conversation with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, climate activist Greta Thunberg, and leading scientists from the Woodwell Climate Research Center on the crisis of climate feedback loops and steps for addressing this urgent set of challenges. The event will livestream for FREE on January 9, 2021, at 10:30 p.m. EST (January 10, 2021, 9:00 a.m. IST) on Mind & Life’s website and Facebook as well as on the Dalai Lama’s website and Facebook.
From the destruction of forests to the thawing of permafrost, the effects of human-induced climate change have set into motion self-perpetuating feedback loops that are accelerating global warming. What can be done to slow down this threat before it’s too late?
Moderated by Diana Chapman Walsh, President emerita Wellesley College, the discussion will be grounded in a new series of educational films, “Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops,” narrated by actor Richard Gere. Contributing their expertise to the conversation will be leading scientists representing the Woodwell Climate Research Center, including Susan Natali, Arctic Program Director, and visiting scientist William Moomaw, Professor Emeritus of International Environmental Policy at Tufts University and lead author of several reports for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
“This unique intergenerational dialogue will raise awareness of climate feedback loops, a critical yet not widely understood phenomenon, by bringing together three essential perspectives—science, contemplative wisdom, and social action,” said Mind & Life President Susan Bauer-Wu. “All three perspectives are necessary: science reveals a new understanding of the problem and solutions, contemplative wisdom lifts up a moral and inspirational message in service of our common humanity, and social action is crucial to influencing public policies and personal behaviors.”
The Dalai Lama speaks to the urgent need for climate action in his new book, Our Only Home: A Climate Appeal to the World, in which he praises Greta Thunberg and other young climate activists for their determination to bring about positive change.
The livestream event will aim to highlight recent scientific findings from Woodwell Climate, the ethical imperative of taking action, and what we can do collectively to slow, halt, and even reverse the devastating impact of climate feedback loops.
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Following the event, the Mind & Life Institute will continue to explore the climate crisis and the human-earth relationship at its virtual 2021 Summer Research Institute, to be held online June 6-12, 2021. Applications are now open.
