University Distinguished Professor Ed Barbier will feature among the speakers for the Climate Symposium event “Landscapes on the Edge” at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles on Sunday October 20. According to MOCA, this is the first climate symposium of its kind in the country that combines art, science and policy in this way.
From the event description:
Speakers from the wider Los Angeles basin focusing on climate history, public policy, activism, environmental justice and ecological conservation will convene to discuss the contemporary landscape as it is changed by climate imbalance. The symposium begins chronologically with the history of human-made climate change, via a special keynote foundational talk by Veerabhadran “Ram” Ramanathan, who discovered the greenhouse effect of chlorofluorocarbons in 1975 and made critical contributions to the discourse of Global Warming, garnering the Blue Planet Prize.
Further speakers will trace causes to the present-day effects of climate change and discuss future educational, activist, mitigation and adaptation strategies. These condensed visual presentations by Edward Barbier, Rong Fu, Peter Kalmus, Alesia Montgomery, Mark Stoll, Aradhna Tripati, Bharat Jayram Venkat, and Justin Winters will be followed by panel discussions and audience questions. The speakers have engaged in a range of experiences, such as Edward Barbier crafting the original Green New Deal for COP and Justin Winters orchestrating the creation of the Global Safety Net.
This symposium addresses themes brought forward by the exhibition Josh Kline: Climate Change, curated by Rebecca Lowery, including the impacts of geography, capitalism, and chaotic weather on global and local communities. While Kline’s work is explicitly science-fiction, this afternoon of talks will present an opportunity to hear from experts working in the field and to engage with science and facts. The program is moderated by artist and MOCA Environmental Council co-founder Haley Mellin. Josh Kline will join for group discussions at the end of each section of the program.
Attendees may join any or all sections, and are encouraged to RSVP. The exhibition Josh Kline: Climate Change will be on view during the symposium with free admission
Schedule
Session 1: Causes
12-1:30 pm
Keynote Talk:
Ram Ramanathan
Session 2: Effects
1:45-3:00 pm
Rong Fu
Alesia Montgomery
Mark Stoll
Dr. Bharat Jayram Venkat
Session 3: Strategies
3:20-5 pm
Edward Barbier
Peter Kalmus
Aradhna Tripati
Justin Winters
This program was co-organized by artists Haley Mellin and Josh Kline, with Kelsey Shell, Environmental & Sustainability Strategist, and Alitzah Oros, Public Programming Associate, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
Highlighting the museum’s work around climate, conservation, and environmental justice, MOCA’s environmental programs are guided by the work of the MOCA Environmental Council, the first sustainability council at a major arts museum in the United States. The environmental programs present artists, activists, and scholars committed to critical ecological issues in Los Angeles and globally.
The 2024 MOCA Climate Conversations are made possible by Nora McNeely Hurley and Manitou Fund.