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2008 Dempsey Environmental Lecture

"Global Warming: Is the Science Settled Enough for Policy?"
Dr. Stephen Schneider, Stanford University
March 2008

Schneider, a professor of environmental biology and global change at Stanford University, has authored or co-authored more than 500 scientific papers, media articles, legislative testimonies and book chapters on climate change issues. A co-director at the Center for Environment Science and Policy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and a senior fellow in the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Schneider has served as a consultant to federal agencies and to the presidential administrations of Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

During the 1980s he emerged as a leading advocate of sharp reductions of greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming. He was part of the team that provided climate change data in 2007 that resulted in the United Nations–sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sharing the Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore.

2006 Dempsey Environmental Lecture

"Ecological Economics: Creating a Sustainable and Desirable Future"
Dr. Robert Costanza, University of Vermont
February 2006

The 2006 Dempsey Environmental Lecture was presented by Dr. Robert Costanza. Dr. Costanza  is the director of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont and is best known for his pioneering work on ecosystem valuation. In 1997, a team of researchers headed by Costanza published an analysis that put a dollar figure on the services ecosystems provide to the continued functioning of our planet, ranging somewhere between $16 and $54 trillion. Dr. Costanza and ecological economists around the globe have spent the ensuing years confirming and refining their valuation process.

Dr. Costanza is the author or co-author of more than 350 scientific papers, 19 books and numerous reports on his work have appeared in publications such as Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic and  The New York Times.

[ View Dr. Costanza's PowerPoint Presentation ]

[ Articles by Dr. Costanza ]

2005 Dempsey Environmental Lecture and Conference

"Is Nature Calling?"
Terry Tempest Williams
February 2005

The 2005 Dempsey Environmental Lecture was delivered by Terry Tempest Williams. Ms. Williams is perhaps best known for her book, "Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place,"  where she chronicles the epic rise of Great Salt Lake and the flooding of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in 1983, alongside her mother's diagnosis with ovarian cancer, believed to be caused by radioactive fallout from the nuclear tests in the Nevada desert in the 1950's and 1960's. This book is now regarded as a classic in American Nature Writing a testament to loss and the earth's healing grace.  Her most recent book, "Red: Patience and Passion in the Desert" traces her lifelong love of and commitment to the desert and the spiritual and political commitment of preserving the fragile redrock wilderness of southern Utah. Ms. Williams has testified before the U.S. Congress twice regarding the environmental links associated with cancer, and has been a strong advocate for America's Redrock Wilderness Act. She is the recipient of a Lannan Literary Fellowship in creative nonfiction, as well as a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Lila Wallace - Readers Digest Community Grant.

In conjunction with Ms.Williams lecture, the Dempsey Environmental Conference was also held. It explored connections between the professional lives and broader motivations, meanings, and implications of the life's work of an array of exceptional individuals working for the environment. Conference panelists included:  Ed Begley, Jr., Robin Morris Collin, Dave Foreman, Dale Jamieson, Jane Lubchenko, Carolyn Merchant, George Miller, Andrew Revkin, and Elizabeth Woody.

[2005 Dempsey Environmental Conference Agenda]

2003 Dempsey Environmental Lecture

"Can Creation Be Saved?"
Dr. Michael Soule
October 2003

The 2003 Dempsey Environmental Lecture was given by Dr. Michael Soule. Dr. Soule is one of the world's leading experts in population biology and island biogeography theory. He has written and edited nine books on biology, conservation biology, and the social context of contemporary conservation. He has written more than 150 articles on topics such as population and evolutionary biology, population genetics, island biogeography and nature conservation and ethics. Soule has received numerous recognitions including being elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship, and being the recipient of the National Wildlife Federation's 2001 National Conservation Achievement Award.

Dr. Soule was the founder and first president of the Society for Conservation Biology, has served on the board for the National Research Council and is a founding and active member of the Wildlands Project.

2002 Dempsey Environmental Lecture and Conference

"Forest Futures: Science, Politics, and Policy for the Next Century"
Bruce Babbitt
September 2002

The 2002 Dempsey Environmental Lecture was presented by Mr. Bruce Babbitt. Mr. Babbitt was appointed by President Bill Clinton to be the US Secretary of the Interior in 1993, he is also the former governor of the state of Arizona and the former Attorney General for that state as well.

The 2002 Dempsey Environmental Conference focused on "Forest Futures: Science, Politics, and Policy for the Next Century." Governor John Kitzhaber opened the conference and provided the keynote address. Panel discussions included: Sustainable Forestry, Science and Policymaking, Endangered Species and The Future and Challenges of the Northwest Forest Plan. The success of and continued interest in this conference prompted the creation of the Forest Futures Roundtable, which meets informally twice a year to further discuss the ideas generated at the conference and other related topics

[2002 Dempsey Environmental Conference Agenda]

2001 Dempsey Environmental Lecture and Conference

Paul Hawken - "The Quest for Sustainability"
Conference - "Greener Institutions for a Changing Environment"
September 2001

The Dempsey Environmental Lecture and Conference Series began in September 2001. Paul Hawken delivered the inaugural lecture titled, "The Quest for Sustainability."

The one-day conference titled, "Greener Institutions for a Changing Environment" convened four panels to discuss topics such as: Low Cost Options for Reducing Greenhouse Emissions, Green Buildings and Technology, Fostering Institutional Commitment, and Calculating a Climate Footprint. 

[2001 Dempsey Environmental Conference Agenda]