Saving the Planet

Climate change expert presents talk on global warming

March 10, 2008

By Mimi Ko Cruz

Lance Simmens, special assistant to Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, will discuss global warming as part of a 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, presentation in Portola Pavilion of the Titan Student Union.

Simmens, one of the first people trained by former Vice President Al Gore and the Climate Project to deliver presentations on global warming, will focus on the scientific evidence of global warming and his discussion will serve as a call to action. He also will present a slideshow based on Gore’s award-winning documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.”

Following Simmens’ presentation will be a panel discussion titled “Too Hot.” Discussing the matter will be Matthew Kirby, assistant professor of geological sciences; Michael Horn, professor of biological science; James Miller, assistant professor of geography; and James Stone, lecturer of political science.

“Global climate change has the potential to affect everyone on earth,” said John Bock, associate professor of anthropology and coordinator of the environmental studies program. “People in general are not very good at dealing with long term planning, and right now the main effects seem far away.

“However, there are communities in the Arctic and in the South Pacific that are currently facing devastation because of global climate change. We still have the means to mitigate these effects for most of the world’s population, but the time to act is now. The challenge is to use the large amount of scientific data to develop policies that will work on a global level to handle this challenge. At Cal State Fullerton, we are fortunate to have a number of faculty experts across the university working on these issues.”

Simmens’ talk is being sponsored by Cal State Fullerton’s environmental studies program and Department of Geological Sciences and Rep. Loretta Sanchez.