1.5* Minute Climate Lectures 2024 (Video)

What do a political science professor, a plant biologist, a professor who studies utopia, and a historian of environment, science, and technology have in common? They each gave a 90-second lecture on climate solutions, part of the fifth-annual Climate Week at Penn.

Simon Richter (left), Class of 1965 Endowed Term Professor of German, moderated a panel following the talks. Michael Mann (right), recently announced as the new Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action attended the event, which took place during Climate Week at Penn.

Penn Arts & Sciences faculty participants included Parrish Bergquist, Assistant Professor of Political Science, speaking about climate policy; John Kanbayashi, Assistant Professor of History and Sociology of Science, on what falls between the local and planetary; Doris Wagner, DiMaura Professor of Biology, speaking about the role of plants in this challenge; and Kristen Ghodsee, Professor and Chair of Russian and East European Studies, on building a utopia through “radical hope.”

They were joined by Penn Design’s Sanya Carley, Faculty Director of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, and Thabo Lenneiye, Managing Director of the Sustainable Agriculture Fund at the Kleinman Center.

A take on the 60-Second Lecture series produced by Penn Arts & Sciences for more than 20 years, the 1.5-Minute Climate Lectures aim to represent 1.5°C—the maximum amount the average temperature can rise in order to avoid the worst consequences of global warming.

Watch individual lectures below or preview the full event, including the audience Q&A, at vimeo.com/1020700265.

“America Faces a Power Disconnection Crisis”

Sanya Carley, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Energy Policy & City Planning, Weitzman School of Design