Tackling Climate Change: Mitigation or Adaptation?

Annual Bicknell Lecture

The global climate has changed profoundly over the last century and now threatens the health and wellbeing of families and communities around the world. With continued climate change we can expect to see more severe and more frequent extreme weather events such as heat waves, wildfires, hurricanes, and floods. The global community must move quickly to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, but there are multiple ways to do so with no clear “one size fits all” solution. This program will ask, should future efforts focus on facilitating large scale mitigation efforts, helping communities and individuals adapt to a changing climate, or do we simply need more research? This year’s Bicknell Lecture will highlight the threats to human health posed by climate change and host a vibrant dialogue with leading experts on how to most productively move forward to address this global challenge.

Bicknell endowed this annual lectureship to provide “a periodic but regular infusion of iconoclasts and original thinkers who will bring ideas to students and faculty that stretch, upset, stimulate, and leave us with renewed energy and commitment to make a real difference in the lives of the poor and the underserved.”