2018 Terry Lectures

The World of the Born and the World of the Made: A New Vision of Our Emerald Planet

In his 2018 Terry Lectures, Professor Lovejoy draws on the science of environmental challenges and solutions, and explores the importance of values and their potential application to solving environmental challenges and solutions.

In his first lecture, “Under a Desert Sky,” Professor Lovejoy explores the complexity of the relationship between people and the environment. Science illuminates the various ways in which we affect the environment, he says, and science can help us consider which ways might be more or less desirable. He explains the gift of blue-green bacteria, and asks “Are planetary boundaries real? And can they inform us about possible choices?” There are multiple ways in which nature nurtures humanity, he concludes, but are there ways—beyond the utilitarian—to value and consequently respect nature?

In his second lecture, “Fragmenting Creation,” Professor Lovejoy tells the story of how science eventually tumbled into recognition of the conservation importance of habitat fragmentation. He explores how natural connections can be restored in landscapes. And turns to questions of values: “Can we advance from thinking of nature as small patches isolated in human-dominated landscapes to an outlook where human aspiration is imbedded in nature? Can we adequately feed additional billions of people without obliterating most of wild nature? What is the role of human settlements?’

In his third and final lecture, “Climate Change and Regreening the Emerald Planet,” Professor Lovejoy speaks of the challenge of climate change, and asks: “How is it affecting the Emerald Planet? How much might be ‘too much’? Is the sixth extinction at hand? How can ecosystem restoration help us address climate change? How might ecosystem restoration change our perception of how our planet works. And how might it best nurture human aspiration?” He ends by asking: “What is the role of awe?”

Lecture Schedule

 

The World of the Born and the World of the Made: A New Vision of Our Emerald Planet

October 25, 2018, 5:30 p.m.

Under a Desert Sky

Burke Auditorium, Kroon Hall, 195 Prospect Street

October 30, 2018, 5:30 p.m.

Fragmenting Creation

Burke Auditorium, Kroon Hall, 195 Prospect Street

November 1, 2018, 5:30 p.m.

Climate Change and Regreening the Emerald Planet

Burke Auditorium, Kroon Hall, 195 Prospect Street