Wendt/Szabo Lecture on Climate Change
This year, Hackley combined the annual Wendt and Szabo Lectures into a single meaningful program with a powerful, thought-provoking interactive exploration of “Climate Change: Science, Simulation and Policy,” which both challenged our community and honored a legacy of great teaching.
Opening the assembly, Michael Wirtz recalled Upper School Science teacher Seth Karpinski's recent words to Hackley seniors, reminding them that the purpose of an education is "not to leave with a great bumper sticker for your car." Rather, Mr. Wirtz said, "We are asking you to dig deep and to engage with the weight and importance of this issue." He observed, "We move quickly from place to place on campus, often while thinking about our next commitment or looming deadline. Our work is meaningful, yet it is human nature to prioritize the urgent over the important. The topic that brings us here today, however, is both urgent and important: climate change."
Hackley Earth Action League (HEAL) senior leaders Jamie Myers and Camille Butterfield introduced the speakers and helped facilitate the simulation.
Wendt Lecturer Cynthia Scharf spoke of her work as Head of Strategic Communications on Climate Change for the United Nations Secretary General, including the efforts to bring 195 nations together in agreement on goals for the 2015 Paris Accord. She highlighted the gravity of the challenges we face as well as the political challenges of achieving agreement and collaboration across nations negotiating varying economic, industrial, political and environmental contexts.
Szabo Lecturer Drew Jones, award-winning professor at MIT and UNC Chapel Hill and co-founder of Climate Interactive, led students in an interactive climate change simulation that made palpable the number of issues each nation and its citizenry need to address, the real challenges inherent in each of these issues, and the very real potential for change and hope if these hard choices and new strategies are embraced. Assigned to represent nations across the development and wealth spectrum, students negotiated toward agreement to changes that would support the goal of keeping climate change to an increase of no more than 2 degrees Celsius.
As Mr. Jones observed, "there is no silver bullet. Instead, it's silver buckshot," in the form of the many small and large changes we need to embrace -- from decreasing carbon emissions and increasing renewable energy sources to eating less meat and planting more trees.
Introducing the event, Michael Wirtz observed:
Throughout my life in schools, I have seen varying levels of commitment to environmental sustainability efforts by students, faculty, and school leadership. There is no single right approach, yet what makes a school successful in these efforts is community awareness and buy-in. The work required to slow the effects of climate change will outlive me and my generation, while impacting all of you and your children. I’m not wiping my generation’s collective hands of responsibility, but rather, I am acknowledging that making change will be a multigenerational effort. As members of a school community that strives to challenge students to grow in “character, scholarship, and accomplishment,” I advance the idea that being stewards of our planet is a matter of character: the work is less about us and our immediate needs and more about others and their future needs. The solutions - touching on issues of science, economic policy, and social justice - will impact all of us, requiring our creativity, advocacy, collaboration, and diplomacy.
During the lunch period, a steady stream of Upper School students joined in ongoing conversation in the Lindsay Room with Ms. Sharf and Mr. Jones, who also visited Hackley classes during the day.
Later that evening. Ms. Scharf and Mr. Jones presented to a highly engaged audience of parents, parents of alumni, alumni, faculty and other members of the extended Hilltop community.
About the Wendt Lecture
Henry Wendt, Class of 1951, endowed a visiting scholar program with the goal of bringing important national and international topics to the Hilltop. In recent years, Wendt Scholars have addressed a diverse array of topics including nuclear proliferation in North Korea, the Middle East peace process, and the role of the United States military in society and policy-making.
About the Szabo Lecture
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Hackley Earth Action League (HEAL) senior leaders Jamie Myers and Camille Butterfield introduced the speakers and helped facilitate the simulation.
Wendt Lecturer Cynthia Scharf spoke of her work as Head of Strategic Communications on Climate Change for the United Nations Secretary General, including the efforts to bring 195 nations together in agreement on goals for the 2015 Paris Accord. She highlighted the gravity of the challenges we face as well as the political challenges of achieving agreement and collaboration across nations negotiating varying economic, industrial, political and environmental contexts.
Szabo Lecturer Drew Jones, award-winning professor at MIT and UNC Chapel Hill and co-founder of Climate Interactive, led students in an interactive climate change simulation that made palpable the number of issues each nation and its citizenry need to address, the real challenges inherent in each of these issues, and the very real potential for change and hope if these hard choices and new strategies are embraced. Assigned to represent nations across the development and wealth spectrum, students negotiated toward agreement to changes that would support the goal of keeping climate change to an increase of no more than 2 degrees Celsius.
As Mr. Jones observed, "there is no silver bullet. Instead, it's silver buckshot," in the form of the many small and large changes we need to embrace -- from decreasing carbon emissions and increasing renewable energy sources to eating less meat and planting more trees.
Introducing the event, Michael Wirtz observed:
Throughout my life in schools, I have seen varying levels of commitment to environmental sustainability efforts by students, faculty, and school leadership. There is no single right approach, yet what makes a school successful in these efforts is community awareness and buy-in. The work required to slow the effects of climate change will outlive me and my generation, while impacting all of you and your children. I’m not wiping my generation’s collective hands of responsibility, but rather, I am acknowledging that making change will be a multigenerational effort. As members of a school community that strives to challenge students to grow in “character, scholarship, and accomplishment,” I advance the idea that being stewards of our planet is a matter of character: the work is less about us and our immediate needs and more about others and their future needs. The solutions - touching on issues of science, economic policy, and social justice - will impact all of us, requiring our creativity, advocacy, collaboration, and diplomacy.
During the lunch period, a steady stream of Upper School students joined in ongoing conversation in the Lindsay Room with Ms. Sharf and Mr. Jones, who also visited Hackley classes during the day.
Later that evening. Ms. Scharf and Mr. Jones presented to a highly engaged audience of parents, parents of alumni, alumni, faculty and other members of the extended Hilltop community.
About the Wendt Lecture
Henry Wendt, Class of 1951, endowed a visiting scholar program with the goal of bringing important national and international topics to the Hilltop. In recent years, Wendt Scholars have addressed a diverse array of topics including nuclear proliferation in North Korea, the Middle East peace process, and the role of the United States military in society and policy-making.
About the Szabo Lecture
The Szabo Lecture was created to honor Kathy and Paul “Doc” Szabo and their commitment to the craft of teaching. We are fortunate to benefit from the Szabo’s legacy, not only in the form of today’s lecture, but in the commitment and teaching excellence represented by today’s faculty. Past lectures have addressed topics ranging from the Genome Project to the Hubble Telescope to sharks.
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