I Lost 10,000 Pounds; Ask Me How
By Nora Molloy, Speakers Bureau
March 7, 2007
Speakers Bureau Addresses Great Decisions Conference
On March 3rd, in an engagement arranged by the Speakers Bureau, Barrett
Rock, of the UNH Study for the Institute of Earth, Oceans and Space spoke
on “Climate Change and Global Response” to the 60 participants
of the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire 2007 Great Decisions Conference
in Manchester.
The World Affairs Council of New Hampshire (WACNH) is the only “non-profit,
non-partisan organization in New Hampshire devoted solely to fostering
learning, discussion and citizen involvement in foreign affairs.” The
Great Decisions Program was developed by the Foreign Policy Association
in 1954. FPA provides independent publications, programs and forums to
increase public awareness of, and foster popular participation in, matters
relating to those policy issues. Each year, an FAC panel chooses eight
new topics and prepares articles and briefing books for organizations such
as the WACNH to use in educational forums and public discussions.
This year, the FPA chose Global Challenges: Confronting Crisis in an Interconnected
World as their theme with the topics of Middle East, climate change, migration,
children, South Africa, Mexico, war crimes and Central Asia as the categories
from which to base the discussion. Noel Lateef, president and CEO of the
Foreign Policy Association stated “Without more rigorous international
education at all levels of the education system our democracy is undermined.
Only with an informed citizenry can the life-and-death issues of foreign
policy be properly ventilated in public debate and discussion.” This
past weekend’s Great Decisions Conference in Manchester was a forum
for those discussions.
For the WACNH Great Decisions Conference, Rock joined with E. Wayne Merry,
a senior associate at the American Foreign Policy Council who spoke on “The
United States in a Post Euro Centric World”. Merry’s presentation
focused on the role of the United States as a “great power”,
stating that “leadership is an obligation” and that success
as a leader will come from “using influence versus using power”.
Additionally, Christopher Swift of the Center for International Studies
at Cambridge University presented “Global Trends in Islamic Militancy:
Moral and Strategic Implications”.
Rock’s presentation “Climate Change; Regional Impact and Global
Response” addressed questions posed by the FPA conference materials
such as “how much are human practices contributing to substantial
and irreversible changes to the environment; what effect are changes to
the climate having in different areas of the planet; and what response
can the community adopt to lessen the impact of dramatic climate change?
The audience was held rapt by the scientific data that proves the reality
of global warming, its causes, and the already visible effects seen here
in New England. “This is not a political issue. It’s a critical
environmental issue. We must act as a unified globe in order to reduce
the impact of future warming. We are at a point where we can’t stop
the warming, but rather are in a position to reduce the amount of warming” Rock
said. Following keynote speaker Merry’s belief that here in the United
States “leadership is an obligation”, Rock left conference
attendees with a call to action, distributing literature from the NH Carbon
Challenge which lists very specific ways each person can reduce their greenhouse
gas emissions by 10,000 pounds per year. For his part, Rock shared the
scientific data confirming the emission and energy use reduction of his
own hybrid vehicles and compact fluorescent lights. “I lost 10,000
pounds; ask me how!” he joked. It’s a great attention getting
line for a serious call to action.
For more information on the UNH Speakers Bureau or to become involved
as a Speakers Bureau expert, visit www.unh.edu/speakersbureau or call 2-4401.
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