Climate Change: A Citizen Primer with Dr. Peter A. Bancel

Dr. Peter A. Bancel will discuss climate change, the state of the world now and consequences for the future. Our age of technology and invention has generated enormous prosperity. It has also initiated a singular experiment: What happens if we heat our planet? Over a century ago, scientists understood that burning fossil fuels would, some day, heat the earth and change its climate. That day has arrived. We are faced with an urgent dilemma : do we support meaningful action now, or not. What should we do? As citizens of the world’s most powerful democracy – with elections pending – a good first step is to be curious about what the science tells us.

Climate is complicated, but the basics of the science can be understood in simple terms. Getting clear about the main ideas can help to cut through the obfuscation that unfortunately has long muddled public debate. The lecture will give a simple overview of
how we’ve changed our climate, present our choices for the future and discuss how we, as citizens of the US – and the planet – can contribute to solutions.

The lecture is an update to several climate talks Peter A. Bancel has given previously at the Library. A physicist by training, Peter has been interested in climate science for over a decade. Peter’s Ph.D. is in experimental physics and he has authored numerous
scientific papers and articles. He currently works at the Institut Métapsychique International in Paris, France, where he studies the interface between physics, consciousness and psychic phenomena. He is also an associate fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences in California.