New Security Beat

The Environmental Change and Security Program, Global Energy Initiative, Program on America and the Global Economy, and Science and Technology Innovation Program
Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m
Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington DC
6th Floor Board Room
RSVP Agenda Directions

James R. Fleming, Professor of Science, Technology, and Society, Colby College, Maine
Geoff Dabelko (moderator), Director, Environmental Change and Security Program, Woodrow Wilson Center

As the international community struggles to agree on ways to address climate change, geoengineering has garnered increased attention from governments and scientists. Environmental historian James Fleming argues in his new book, Fixing the Sky: The Checkered History of Weather and Climate Control, that a concerted study of the history, social aspects, and governance of technological interventions and geoengineering proposals, both past and present, is crucial to informing the debate.

“Geoengineering is in fact untested and dangerous. We don’t understand it, we can’t test it on smaller than planetary scales, and we don’t have the political capital, wisdom, or will to govern it. Planetary tinkering is not ‘cheap,’ as some economists claim, since the side effects are unknown,” asserts the former Wilson Center public policy scholar asserts in Fixing the Sky.

Weaving together stories from elite science, cutting-edge technology, and popular culture over the last two centuries, Fleming reminds policymakers and scientists of the political, military, and ethical implications of managing the world’s climate. Based on archival and primary research, Fleming's original story speaks to anyone who has a stake in sustaining the planet.

This event will be recorded and archived but will not be webcast live.

Location: Woodrow Wilson Center at the Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington DC, USA ("Federal Triangle" stop on Blue/Orange Line), 6th floor board room. A map to the Center is available at www.wilsoncenter.org/directions. Note: Due to heightened security, entrance to the building will be restricted and photo identification is required. Please allow additional time to pass through security.