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Environmental Studies Department |
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 A bi-weekly newsletter published by the
www.macalester.edu/environmentalstudies/ThisJustIn/main.htm In This Issue.... 1. Conservation Internships with the Nature Conservancy 2. Prof. Stephen Pacalea Speaking at the University of Minnesota 3. Northwest Connections 4. Youth Forum on Global Warming Solutions 5. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs Information Session 6. Cal-Wood Education Center 7. Internships
1. Conservation Internships with the Nature Conservancy We are pleased to announce that Shelby and Gale Davis have decided to co-fund up to the conservation internships with The Nature Conservancy during 2008. The deadline for applications has been extended to February 20, 2008. View the Internship announcement and description. Fill out and download the internship application form. Any questions, contact: Renee Mullen
2. Prof. Stephen Pacalea Speaking at the University of Minnesota Professor Stephen W. Pacala, PhD, is the 2007-08 Visiting Consortium Professor. Prof. Pacala will be making a presentation at the University of Minnesota Law School on March 11. "Equitable Solutions to Greenhouse Warming:
On the Distribution of Wealth, Commentators: This lecture focuses on recent delaying tactics used to postpone international action on global warming and the misuse of the rhetoric of fairness. The US claims that it is unfair to expect it to limit greenhouse emissions when big emitters like India and China have no intention of following suit. China, India and the developing nations counter-claim that it is unfair to expect them to act when the developed nations have both created the problem and become rich on their past emissions. In neither case is the concept of "fairness" congruent with familiar uses of the word. To clarify issues of responsibility and equity, Prof. Pacala uses data on income distributions and greenhouse emissions in 300 countries over the last 40 years to estimate the personal emissions of every individual on earth. The data shows that the top emitters are responsible for half of the world's greenhouse emissions. Because of the tight correlation between income and emissions, the top 500 million emitters are also the 500 million richest people. Two-thirds live in developed countries, but fully one-third live in developing countries. In contrast, the 3.1 billion poorest and lowest emitting people (the bottom half of the global distribution) are responsible for only 5-10% of the world's emissions. This talk describes actions and policies that would allocate responsibility for climate mitigation to each nation based on the individual emissions of its citizens, including the tradeoffs among economic costs, the stringency of a mitigation target, and the amount of damage caused by climate change. Stephen W. Pacala, PhD, is the Frederick D. Petrie Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Director of the Princeton Environmental Institute and co-Director of The Carbon Mitigation Initiative at Princeton University. He also holds an appointment as Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University. Prof. Pacala is interested in the processes that govern ecological communities, the interplay between community and ecosystem-level processes, and the interactions between the global biosphere and climate. His research seeks answers to the following questions: How and to what extent does the terrestrial biosphere affect climate? Does the feedback between climate and vegetation lead to multiple stable states of climate? If so, could human land use cause a flip to an alternative state (we are most concerned currently by the possibility of a dry tropics caused by deforestation)? How does biodiversity affect global ecosystem function? This event is free and open to the public. This lecture is intended for students, faculty, researchers, scientists, policymakers, and community members. To access a map for the St. Paul Student Center and nearby parking, visit http://www1.umn.edu/pts/maps/splarge.htm.
3. Northwest Connections Northwest Connections, located on the historic Beck Homestead in Swan Valley, Montana, is currently accepting applications for their 2008 Landscape and Livelihood Fall Field Semester. Students learn natural history, field ecology and collaborative conservation through place-based and hands on experiences -- lab is everyday. They accept 10-12 students into this program, integrating students into the community and complex conservation issues facing the Swan Valley. Fifteen semester credits are earned from the University of Montana in five separate courses through the College of Forestry and Conservation; the Departments of Environmental Studies and Geography.
For program details: visit their website at www.northwestconnections.org; download their Landscape & Livelihood 2008 program brochure; or contact them at 406-754-3185 or info@northwestconnections.org.
4. Youth Forum on Global Warming Solutions Youth Form on Global Warming Solutions: Join polar explorer Will Steger, Governor Tim Pawlenty, and college and high school students across the state of Minnesota for the Youth Forum on Global Warming Solutions. When: Monday, March 3, 4-6 p.m. Where: O'Shaughnessy Education Center, University of Saint Thomas, St Paul, MN What:
Registration opens on February 4 and is limited to college and high school students until February 18. After this date, registration will open to the general public. Registration closes February 29. Seating is limited. You can register at www.globalwarming101.com.
5. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs Information Session Representatives from the Institute's Master of Science (MS) and Master of Public Policy (MPP) Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP) program will be hosting an information session for prospective MS and MPP-STEP students at 12 p.m .on Thursday, February 28. The MS program prepares students with science and engineering backgrounds and the MPP-STEP program prepares students with any undergraduate background to assume roles in public policy development, implementation, management, and leadership. For example, students are taught to analyze and design policies for appropriate promotion and oversight of science and technology regionally, nationally, and internationally. They explore the interactions between science & technology and society in interdisciplinary ways, with a problem-oriented (e.g. climate change) approach. To complement HHH courses, students are able to take additional coursework from a wide range of departments across the University of Minnesota, such as Natural Resources and Management, Conservation Biology, Management of Technology, Environmental Policy, Applied Economics, and Bioethics. MS and MPP-STEP graduates have a wealth of job opportunities available to them, and graduates end up in state and federal government (e.g. Department of Commerce, Energy policy analyst), business (e.g. 3M regulatory affairs), and non-profit (e.g. Great Plains Institute for Sustainable Development policy analyst) policy positions. The information session will take place in room 170 Humphrey Center at the University of Minnesota from 12-1:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 28. Beverages and pizza will be served. Faculty, current students, and admissions staff will speak briefly and answer questions. You can RSVP via their online form at http://www2.hhh.umn.edu/forms/admissions_infosessions.html; email : HHHadmit@umn.edu; or phone at 612-626-7229. More information about the Humphrey Institute can be found on our website at www.hhh.umn.edu.
6. Cal-Wood Education Center Earn 3 undergraduate credits in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at the spectacular 1,200-acre, private Cal-Wood Education Center (near Jamestown, Colorado, 1 hour northwest of Denver, 1/2 hour northwest of Boulder). Course 1 runs from June 8-12, 2008; Course 2 runs from July 6-19, 2008. Explore and survey the concepts, components & conservation of the Colorado Front Range ecosystem:
This outdoor course synthesizes and applies information learned in a classroom context to an authentic, complex, and dynamic environmental setting. Instruction is delivered with direct lecture, hands-on activities, guided exploration, field trips and guest speakers. Students base/tent-camp in a beautiful mountain location, hike daily, and participate in an intensive educational experience. Class size is limited to 16 students so register early to reserve a space. For course information, contact: Steve Johnson, Course Director, steve@calwood.org, (303) 859-0173, www.calwood.org.
7. Internships The following are new internship offerings:
Information about these internships can be found at: www.macalester.edu/environmentalstudies/currentinternships.htm
Any questions regarding this newsletter or to be removed from the mailing list, contact Ann Esson at esson@macalester.edu.
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