Public Lecture – No Going Back: Ethics and Institutions for the Anthropocene

Join the Aldo Leopold Nature Center for a free public lecture by Paul Robbins, Professor and Director, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin, in which he explores the ethics and institutions of our current planetary era.

The world has entered a new condition, which many call the “Anthropocene,” a period of transformed Earth from which there is likely no return. While this condition is marked by serious and frightening challenges, including climate change, mass extinction, and resource scarcity, it is also a period of potential opportunity.

This presentation briefly reviews our current global environmental conundrum and attempts to answer two questions. First, what kinds of ethics must we develop to make responsible decisions? When do we seek to change environments and when do we leave them alone? Second, what kind of education, research, and engagement do we need to make these decisions in a transformed world? How can universities, in particular, be a force for good in their relationships to partners around the state and around the world? The answers to these questions stress the urgent responsibilities we now have, living in the Anthropocene.

This presentation, Tuesday, March 10, 6:00-7:00 PM, is free and open to the public. It will be followed at 7:00 PM by a guided tour of the Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s Climate Science Education Center (admission is free for lecture attendees, though donations are appreciated!)

Pre-registration for the lecture and tour is not required, but it’s recommended to RSVP below as space is limited.

Pre-Registration is closed. See you tonight!