Tech Event Focusing on Climate and Clean Energy

As part of the Civil Counterpoints series at Texas Tech University, climate change will be the topic of discussion at the next event, which is scheduled to be held Tuesday, October 3rd.

Civil Counterpoints is a collaboration among Tech faculty members from the College of Media & Communication, the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources and the Honors College, to encourage civility and open mindedness in discussions of controversial topics.

Kent Wilkinson, the Thomas Jay Harris Regents Professor in Hispanic and International Communication, says "Civil Counterpoints is a campus-wide dialogue series that encourages thoughtful discussions about controversial topics. The turmoil surrounding the 2016 election and troubles on a number of university campuses last year motivated a group of ideologically diverse faculty to organize a series of gatherings where expert guests interact with each other and the campus community.”

The talk will be held on Tuesday, October 3rd, as the second installment of the Civil Counterpoints initiative, at 5:30 p.m. in the Allen Theatre of the Texas Tech Student Union Building. 

In a press release, Texas Tech University gives some insight on what to expect on the initiative's next talk on climate change:

Is there a way to tackle this challenge? Are there climate solutions that would be acceptable across the political spectrum? Policy experts look for answers in a shifting political atmosphere that may signal less global cooperation; market analysts argue that market forces and capitalism are pivotal to shaping approaches to global warming; clean energy advocates point to the economic benefits of investing in the local economy.

Experts for this installment of Civil Counterpoints include:

• Katharine Hayhoe, a professor in the Department of Political Science at Texas Tech, director of the Texas Tech Climate Science Center and an expert on climate science and its impacts
• Tracy Hresko Pearl, an associate professor in the Texas Tech School of Law and an expert on environmental law
• Michael Giberson, an associate professor of practice in the Rawls College of Business and member of the Free Market Institute, an economist specializing in U.S. energy policy and regulation and environmental economics
• Tom Smith, director of special projects in the Texas office of Public Citizen, a non-partisan citizens advocacy group and an expert on clean energy in Texas.

The event is free and open to the public.  Audience interaction is encouraged, and a reception with the expert guests will follow.