Penn’s Sixth Annual Climate Week
Penn’s sixth annual Climate Week brought together the University community during the week of October 13 for more than 50 events exploring climate action around the theme of “hot spots.” The week was supported by all 12 of Penn’s Schools, the Provost’s Office, and the Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services, and carried out by an organizing committee of students, faculty, and staff, with administrative leadership from the Environmental Innovations Initiative. Through workshops, lectures, and other events, the week highlighted both the depth of climate work happening at Penn and the necessity of working across disciplines to address climate change.
Student and Faculty Voices Take Center Stage
Student speakers took the stage at the 1.5° Minute Climate Lectures, a series of presentations designed to communicate climate research and ideas in under 1.5 minutes, referencing the maximum temperature increase the world can sustain to avoid the worst consequences of global warming. Students shared perspectives on climate justice, environmental literacy, green finance, technological impacts, and more. Faculty members also participated in their own 1.5° Minute Climate Lectures, offering rapid-fire insights on migration, radiant cooling technology, artificial intelligence, urban heat islands, agriculture, and energy systems.
Watch the Faculty 1.5° Minute Climate Lecture above. Video Credit: Mayumi Hirtzel (Penn Video Network)
Student perspectives were also centered during the Research Poster Session, providing attendees with the opportunity to share and discuss climate research in a collaborative setting. The posters covered topics impacting the local Philadelphia community and beyond, including the Philadelphia Emerging Water Contaminants Initiative (PECI), climate change and disease ecology, urban green spaces in the Galápagos, climate disengagement, and agroforestry. The session allowed community members to create interdisciplinary connections outside of their classrooms.
A Conversation with Bill Nye and Michael Mann
Climate Week concluded on Friday, October 17, with a keynote conversation at Irvine Auditorium that featured Bill Nye the Science Guy and Michael Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor and Director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media.
Nye discussed his evolution from television educator to climate advocate, emphasizing the urgency of the climate crisis and the critical role of the next generation in driving solutions. His message to the Penn community was clear: optimism must be paired with action to create meaningful and lasting change.
“Yes, we can do something. You’re the young people, you’re the future. You’re not going to put up with this. So the sooner we get started, the better,” Nye said. He continued, “We can be effective by demonstrating. And I encourage young people to get out there and raise hell.”
