Climate Change & Energy Policy Conference at WVU College of Law

Duane Nichols — Sat, 17 Nov 2018 09:05:46 +0000

.. WVU College of Law Professor .. James Van Nostrand

National Energy Conference on December 1st to Focus on Climate Change

From an Article by Chelsi Baker, WVU College of Law, November 12, 2018

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA — The 2018 National Energy Conference at WVU Law on December 1st will focus on climate change.

Admission is free and the public is invited to attend. Online registration is required at: energy.law.wvu.edu/nec18

Topics to be discussed at the conference include the latest developments in climate change issues, climate change communication, controlling methane emissions, putting a price on carbon, and solar energy opportunities and obstacles. The speakers are national and regional experts from industry, public policy organizations, environmental groups, and academia.

Emily Calandrelli, an Emmy-nominated science TV host, will deliver the keynote speech. She is a correspondent on “Bill Nye Saves the World” on Netflix and an executive producer and host of FOX’s “Xploration Outer Space.” Calandrelli is a 2010 WVU graduate.

Rafe Pomerance, chairman of Arctic 21 and former president of Friends of the Earth, will deliver the conference’s closing remarks.

The 2018 National Energy Conference is hosted by WVU Law’s Center for Energy and Sustainable Development, Friends of Blackwater, and the Appalachian Stewardship Foundation.

According to law professor James Van Nostrand, director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development, it is important to have honest communication about climate change to learn about climate science and how to make climate-friendly policy choices.

“Experts agree on the importance of controlling greenhouse gas emissions, and bipartisan efforts have paved the way for financial incentives for climate-friendly technologies,” said Van Nostrand. “But citizens, public agencies, businesses, scientists and community leaders must all play an informed role in addressing climate change to help fully tackle the technical, legal, financial, regulatory and political aspects of the issue.”

Among the conference speakers are Kurt Waltzer of the Clean Air Task Force; Andrew Williams of the Environmental Defense Fund; Kenneth Davis, professor of atmospheric science at Pennsylvania State University; Autumn Long of Solar United Neighbors; Amy Hessl, a WVU geographer and paleoclimatologist; Joshua Fershee, a WVU law professor; Jim Probst of the Citizen’s Climate Lobby; and Michael Svoboda, a professor at George Washington University.

- WVU College of Law -

Renowned Biologist Discusses Climate Change at WVU College of Law

Duane Nichols — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:43:58 +0000

: Prof. Thomas Lovejoy

Prof. Thomas Lovejoy heads the Biodiversity Program at the Heinz Center in Washington, DC

Innovative conservation biologist Thomas E. Lovejoy presented “Climate Change: A Wild Solution” on Thursday, January 31^st in the Lugar Courtroom at the West Virginia University College of Law. The public was invited to attend.

In his lecture, Lovejoy explored the past and present impacts of climate change on nature and biodiversity, as well as how managing ecosystems could significantly reduce the amount of climate change that will occur.

A recipient of the 2012 Blue Planet Prize for lifetime achievement in conservation, Lovejoy developed the “debt-for-nature” swap program that trades foreign debt for environmental protection projects. It is one of the largest sources of financing for international conservation, resulting in more than $1 billion in funding since 1987.

Lovejoy has been an advisor to the World Bank, the United Nations, the World Wildlife Fund, the Smithsonian and presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He is currently the biodiversity chair at the Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment in Washington, D.C. He is also an environmental science and policy professor at George Mason University. Lovejoy founded the long-running TV series Nature on PBS, and was the first to use the term “biological diversity” in 1980.

“It is no exaggeration to say that Tom Lovejoy has devoted himself most dedicatedly, and single-mindedly, to the welfare of this earth,” said Michael Blumenthal, visiting assistant professor of law. “For almost a quarter century, he has worked on the interaction between climate change and biodiversity and been a major force in saving the Amazon from total deforestation. Having him here at WVU to discuss these issues provides us with a rare opportunity to have a major thinker and activist provide examples of ways in which we can assure that there will indeed be a planet for our descendants to inhabit and to celebrate.”

See the presentation here:

See the same topic presented in September of 2012 here:

See information on Biodiversity at the Heinz Center here:

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Climate Change & Energy Policy Conference at WVU College of Law

Renowned Biologist Discusses Climate Change at WVU College of Law