The Great Climate Change Debate

On this page: Program | Schedule | Directions & Parking | Registration & Cost | Questions? | Registration Form

The MIT Club of Washington is pleased to present its 26th annual Seminar Series on an important national topic related to science and technology. Each year, the series offers engineers, scientists, industry leaders, policy makers, and educators an opportunity to explore a specific topic in depth. Those both within and outside the Washington area MIT community gain the opportunity to develop a better understanding of recent developments and key issues.

Presentations by distinguished speakers are followed by ample time for questions and discussion. The social hour and dinner provide additional opportunities to meet the speakers, renew acquaintances, and join in stimulating discussions with other participants.

One of the most controversial policy debates in contemporary US society is on the issue of climate change. The complexity of the debate stems from the mix of scientific, economic, and political issues that interact at all phases of the conversation. The contention is enhanced by the tendency of people on all sides to denigrate the motives, competence, and integrity of those with whom they disagree. This is compounded by the difficulty of achieving clarity either in specialized policy forums or the mass media resulting from the intricacy of the issues and the difficulty of framing understandable analytical questions.

This Seminar Series will define the basic issues in the discussion in order to provide a framework for thinking about the problems and understanding the public debate about global climate change. We will focus on exploring some basic questions:

• What is the nature of the science in the development of positions on climate change, i.e., how do we know what we know?
• What are the key contentions in the debate and what are the bases for their claims?
• What are the economic consequences of both action and inaction?
• What are the underlying political positions that lead people to accept or reject the implications of the climate change debate?
• What is the role of scientific paradigms in influencing scientists to accept or reject the assumptions and implications in the climate change debate?

PROGRAM

SCHEDULE

The October session meets on the first Tuesday of the month, the January session meets on the third Tuesday, and the remaining sessions meet on the second Tuesday.

Each session begins at 6:15 p.m. with a cash bar, followed by dinner at 7:00, and the seminar from approximately 8:00 to 9:30.

DIRECTIONS AND PARKING

Each of the seminar sessions will be held at the Kenwood Country Club, 5601 River Road, Bethesda, MD.

From the Beltway (I-495), use Exit 39, River Road. Go toward Washington, continue 2.8 miles. At the Springfield Drive stoplight turn left into Kenwood CC. There is plenty of free parking in the lots left and rear of the clubhouse.

From D.C., take Massachusetts Ave. NW to Westmoreland Circle at the DC line, turn right onto Western Avenue, turn left onto River Road. Proceed to 5601 and turn right into Kenwood Club.

Using mass transit take the Metro Red Line to Friendship Heights, then take the nine minute ride on the T2 Metrobus that leaves the station at 5:35, 5:57, and 6:15.

For more specific driving directions visit maps.google.com.

REGISTRATION AND COST

Register and pay by check using the coupon below. Or register online and pay by credit card using SmarTrans.  Registrations will be accepted for the complete series only, although spaces are transferable for individual sessions. Club Partners may register via e-mail to Ray Daniels to raphaeldaniels@alum.mit.edu. Registrations must be received by September 28. Please note that SmarTrans does not do refunds, so there will be no refunds or credits if you pay by SmarTrans and cannot attend the series. Federal employees may submit an approved SF-182 for payment.

The series is open to MIT alums, their guests, and all others interested in the topic. Reservations will be accepted in the order received. Register early to avoid disappointment from oversubscription. 

The cost of the series is $268 per person for members/guests and $300 for non-members, including dinner each session.

QUESTIONS?

If you have questions about this event, contact Ken Gordon at 301-469-9240 or kengordon@alum.mit.edu.

STEERING COMMITTEE

General Chairman
Dr. Kenneth Gordon

Program Committee
Dr. Michael R. Leavitt
Mr. Ray Daniels
Dr. Robert Hershey
Dr. Bernard Paiewonsky
Mr. Robert L. Plouffe
Mr. Martin Rush
Dr. Robert Summers

Treasurer
Mr. Mark Joseph

Registration
Mr. Ray Daniels

Publicity
Dr. Robert Hershey

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