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Climate Change, Health and Ethics
CHPRE Earth Week Event
Thomas Lovejoy, environmentalist and founder of the PBS show "Nature," gave a public presentation on April 23 at 11 a.m. in Research I, Room 163. His talk, "Climate Change, Nature, Ethics, and Health," focused on the ways in which climate change affects the living fabric of the planet and threatens the fundamental underpinnings of human health.
The event, which was free and open to the public, was sponsored by the College of Health and Human Services, the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics, the Center for Climate and Society, and the Center for Global Ethics.
Lovejoy, a tropical biologist and conservation biologist, introduced the term biological diversity to the scientific community in 1980. He is the first recipient of the new Heinz Center Biodiversity Chair, created in August 2008. Previously, he served as president of the Heinz Center. He was also the World Bank’s chief biodiversity advisor and senior advisor to the president of the United Nations Foundation. Lovejoy served on science and environmental councils or committees under the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton Administrations. He received his BS and PhD in biology from Yale University.
"We are excited because this event helps to highlight the ethical implications of climate change generally and for health specifically, in particular the concern that climate change may serve to worsen global health disparities," says Lisa Eckenwiler, associate professor of philosophy and director of health care ethics at the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics. "It also offers an opportunity to show Mason's commitment to excellence in transdisciplinary research and teaching in ecological sustainability, ethics, and health."
For more information, contact Amanda Baer by telephone at (703) 993-9490 or by email at abaer4@gmu.edu.