Penn at New York City Climate Week
Dr. Michael Mann, Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action, represented the University of Pennsylvania at two NY Climate Week events on Monday, September 22, highlighting the university’s growing role in climate leadership.
Penn Climate and the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media (PCSSM) co-hosted “Reality Check: Moving From Crisis To Hope,” with University of Exeter’s Global Carbon Budget and Nature Climate Impact Team, as well as Climate Basecamp and Fortescue. The event occurred aboard the Green Pioneer, the world’s first dual-fuel ammonia-powered vessel. Owned by Fortescue, the Green Pioneer aims to accelerate the shipping industry’s transition to green fuels and served as a fitting setting for conversations about the climate crisis.
The event featured a fireside chat by the vessel’s owner, Dr. Andrew Forrest, Executive Chairman and Founder of Fortescue, and a panel discussion with actor and co-founder of Climate Basecamp, Rainn Wilson; University of Exeter professor and co-founder of Climate Basecamp, Gail Whiteman; University of Exeter professor and member of Global Carbon Budget team, Pierre Friedlingstein; and Professor Mann. All participants also provided climate-focused speed talks, and Rainn Wilson delivered a keynote titled “Making Climate Personal.”
The Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media partnered with the Penn Club of New York later that evening for a talk with PCSSM Senior Research Fellow Dr. Joseph Romm titled “Climate solutions, AI data center energy use, and nuclear power: What’s real, what’s hype, and what’s disinformation.” Dr. Mann introduced Dr. Romm, whose presentation contrasted the media’s focus on experimental technologies like small nuclear reactors and fusion with what he described as the actual energy miracle—rapid deployment of solar power, batteries, and electric vehicles, led by China. The event demonstrated PCSSM’s mission to improve climate science communication in today’s challenging media landscape.
