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How Culture Shapes the Climate Change Debate

Please join us for a conversation with Andy Hoffman, Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan, as he discusses his book "How Culture Shapes the Climate Change Debate."

Though the scientific community largely agrees that climate change is underway, debates about this issue remain fiercely polarized. These conversations have become a rhetorical contest, one where opposing sides try to achieve victory through playing on fear, distrust, and intolerance. At its heart, this split no longer concerns carbon dioxide, greenhouse gases, or climate modeling; rather, it is the product of contrasting, deeply entrenched worldviews. Synthesizing evidence from sociology, psychology, and political science, Andrew J. Hoffman lays bare the opposing cultural lenses through which science is interpreted. He then extracts lessons from major cultural shifts in the past to engender a better understanding of the problem and motivate the public to take action. How Culture Shapes the Climate Change Debate makes a powerful case for a more scientifically literate public, a more socially engaged scientific community, and a more thoughtful mode of public discourse.

Watch the event LIVE:

 


This event is part of the GE Colloquium in Sustainability Leadership, a program of the Yale Center for Business and Environment, and supported by the GE Foundation, that brings business professionals and thought leaders to campus to help students understand the challenges of achieving sustainability, and to provide them with necessary skills to prepare for careers in this emerging sector.