Tuesday, September 3
Reactionary? Progressive? Localist? Globalist? How do our climate politics line up? This panel will explore the history of environmentalism as a way of thinking about the spectrum of political positions in climate response. Recall that the oil shock, acid rain, nuclear energy protests at Wyhl, concern over DDT, all in the 1970s generated a new environmental activism: citizens initiatives in civil disobedience against business and state. In Germany and elsewhere very disparate interests came together to form what was understood as a new progressive political party: the Greens. Yet was it so progressive? Many people in the party came from a far-right political position, and with their entry into parliament, the Greens did not fit easily into the historic right-left spectrum. Such is not new. Indeed, environmental concerns have a longer and even a predominately conservative history. Romanticism praised pre-industrial bucolic patriarchal society. While climate change denialism may have become recently a hallmark of conservative politics, yet back to nature, back to the soil, survivalism, and prepping, are restoring environmentalism increasingly to conservative politics. And as with the Greens before, movements like Fridays for Futures and Last Generation do not align with any existing political party.
Moderator: Randall Halle
Panelists:
Iza Ding, Northwestern University
Stephen Milder, Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society
Bios on Panelist:
Iza Ding (Ph.D. Harvard, 2016) is an Associate Professor of Political Science. Her research explores the paradoxes and pushbacks attending economic, political, and cultural modernization, such as creative resistance against institutional rigidities, lingering moral traditions against legal development, enduring historical memories against rapid socioeconomic transformations, and humans' simultaneous degradation of nature and attachment to nature. Ding is the author of The Performative State: Public Scrutiny and Environmental Governance in China (Cornell University Press, 2022). She is currently working on a monograph on global historical waves of environmentalism.
Stephen Milder is an environmental historian based at the Rachel Carson Center in Munich, where he is writing a history of the emergence of climate politics at the end of the Cold War. He is the author of Greening Democracy: The Anti-Nuclear Movement and Political Environmentalism in West Germany and Beyond, 1968–1983.
Friday, September 6
Join us as we revisit the top Eurovision contestants of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.
We will review the top 10 songs/videos from across Europe, and you will have the chance to cast your vote.
*** Refreshments will be provided.
Wednesday, October 2
Explore the World with a Summer Study Abroad Scholarship! Join the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs' Scholarships Info Session!
Dreaming of an unforgettable summer adventure abroad? We're here to make it happen! Discover your opportunity to study abroad with the help of scholarships at our Summer Study Abroad Scholarships Info Session.
What You'll Gain from Our Info Session:
Scholarship Insights: Learn about various scholarships designed specifically for summer global experience programs.
Application Tips: Get expert advice on crafting a compelling scholarship application.
Destinations Galore: Explore exciting study abroad destinations and programs available.
Q&A Session: Ask your burning questions and get answers from experienced advisors.
Don't miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime! Secure your spot at our Summer Study Abroad Scholarships Info Session and embark on a transformative journey that will broaden your horizons and enrich your life. Your global adventure begins here!
In-Person event
Tuesday, October 8
Description: Join in a conversation on criminalization of climate activists and their day in court with legal scholar Veronica Federico, Attorney Gaëlle Cognet, and one of the successful Swiss Climate Activists, Elsbeth Stern.
9 April 2024 the European Court of Human Rights decided in favor of the “Climate Grannies” that the Swiss Government had failed to meet its climate responsibilities and, therefore, violated their human rights. The case set global legal precedent. It will have impact for years to come. In a world where 80% of the people want more action from their governments on climate change, the case’s success highlights too how the courts increasingly play a central role in the sustainability movement.
Moderator: Randall Halle, University of Pittsburgh
Panelists:
Gaëlle Cognet, Ashurst LLP
Veronica Federico, University of Florence
Elisabeth Stern, Board Member, Klima Seniorinnen
About the Panelist:
Gaëlle Cognet is a counsel in Ashurst Paris' projects and energy transition
She has been recruited with a view to support the public law practice and expand the firm’s activities in environmental law. A former in-house counsel for an independent solar producer and subsequently partner in one of France’s leading law firms in public law, Gaëlle has extensive experience in the energy sector and related public law regulations. She has also developed a pioneer expertise on the legal consequences of climate change (flooding, coastline retreat) on coastal territories.
Gaëlle assists public institutions, companies, investors, and project developers in France (metropolitan and overseas territories) and Francophone Africa on all public law matters relating to their activities (administrative law, public contracts, public domain, urban planning law, territorial government authorities law,..) with acute attention to the increasing environmental and ESG requirements they must comply with.
Elisabeth Stern is a retired ethnologist who studied psychology in Zurich and completed an MA and PhD in Cultural Anthropology at the University of California. She worked at the Pestalozzi Foundation Children’s Village for intercultural education. She taught ethnology at the University of Zurich, worked as a research associate at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare, and was a Senior Lecturer for intercultural management competence at the University of St. Gallen. She was the co-director of an environmental company for the financing of environmental projects.
She is currently a member of the board of KlimaSeniorinnen (https://en.klimaseniorinnen.ch/)
Thursday, October 24
Model UN, a simulation of the sessions of the United Nations, provides an opportunity for high school students to apply their studies to real-world contexts and practice diplomacy, negotiating, and resolution writing.
When and Where
Pitt MUN will take place on Tuesday, October 24, 2024. We are planning to host this event in-person in the William Pitt Union and O'Hara Student Center on the University of Pittsburgh’s Oakland campus. Registration will open at 8:00am; the conference will end at 4:00pm.
Tuesday, November 5
Explore the World with a Summer Study Abroad Scholarship! Join the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs' Scholarships Info Session!
Dreaming of an unforgettable summer adventure abroad? We're here to make it happen! Discover your opportunity to study abroad with the help of scholarships at our Summer Study Abroad Scholarships Info Session.
What You'll Gain from Our Info Session:
Scholarship Insights: Learn about various scholarships for summer global experience.
Application Tips: Get expert advice on crafting a compelling scholarship application.
Destinations Galore: Explore exciting study abroad destinations and programs available.
Q&A Session: Ask your burning questions and get answers from experienced advisors.
Don't miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime! Secure your spot at our Summer Study Abroad Scholarships Info Session and embark on a transformative journey that will broaden your horizons and enrich your life. Your global adventure begins here!
In-Person event
Sunday, November 10
The 42nd Annual Polishfest is designed to give everyone an opportunity to experience the living Polish, Lithuanian, and Carpatho-Rusyn cultures
The 42nd Annual Polishfest is designed to give the festival guests, families, and students an opportunity to experience the living cultures of the Polish, Lithuanian and Carpatho-Rusyn Peoples that throughout history were joined, separated and independently are connected. A living legacy presented to teach, to experience, to taste, to try and to have fun.
This family-oriented event is FREE to everyone and will include many activities such as Polish name writing; Lithuanian angel papercutting demonstration; pierogi / pirohy cooking demonstrations and samples; and Carpatho-Rusyn spinning and lace making; and a pierogi toss.
Every display, demonstration, and activity will offer an explanation of the cultural history of the tradition.
Entertainment will include Polish folk songs with a violinist; a Lithuanian choir with Bocjai folk songs; Polish Karazula folk songs and folk dancing by the “Lajkoniki” Ensemble; Polka dancing; and contemporary Polish music.
In-Person event
Tuesday, November 12
Description: TBD
Moderator: Randall Halle, University of Pittsburgh
Panelist: TBD
Description: TBD