Climate Change

Rupture: The U.S. and the Fate of World Order Speaker Series - Rupture #1: Democracy & Human Rights

February 17, 2026

February 25, 2026 | 12:30 - 2 pm (lunch talk) | 223 Philosophy Hall

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IIS Spring 2026 Speaker Series: The U.S. and the Fate of World Order

Rupture #1: Democracy and Human Rights

For decades the US’s role in the world has been grounded in democratic values as well as often contradictory economic and security interests that have contributed to both global...

Lars-Erik Liljelund: Climate Change and Public Policy

Lars-Erik Liljelund
2006

Host Harry Kreisler welcomes scientist Lars-Erik Liljelund, Director General of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, for a discussion of Swedish policy for addressing climate change and global warming. He reflects on his own career which combines work in public policy and science. He also talks about the distinctive quality of the global warming problem and the obstacles for finding and implementing solutions.

KEYWORDS: Sweden.

Yossie Hollander: Freedom from Oil Dependence

Yossie Hollander
2012

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Yossie Hollander for a discussion of the problem of oil dependence. Hollander discusses what he learned as a pioneer of the Israel software industry including the factors that made possible Israel's thriving Silicon Valley. Focusing on the role of philanthropy in changing the way we see social problems, he describes the mission of the Fuel Freedom Foundation which includes defining the problem of oil dependence. Examining present and future costs in light of the changing structure of oil markets, he shows how monopoly behavior prevents...

Sir David King: Science and Public Policy

Sir David King
2005

Host Harry Kreisler welcomes Sir David King, Science Advisor to the British Government, for a discussion of the role of science in policy making.

http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people5/King/king-con0.html

Key Words: Scientists, Environment, Science and Public Policy, Climate Change, Great Britain, Global Warming

S. David Freeman: Energy, Conservation, and the Public Interest

S. David Freeman
2003

Host Harry Kreisler welcomes attorney David Freeman who reflects on his distinguished career in public service and discusses the political and social forces that have shaped energy policy at the national and state level.

http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people3/Freeman/freeman-con0.html

Key Words: Energy, Environment, Public Service, Global Warming, Climate Change, RIP

Ralph J. Cicerone: Science, Climate Change, and Leadership

Ralph J. Cicerone
2016

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Ralph J. Cicerone, President of the National Academy of Sciences for a discussion of the challenges facing the scientific community. Dr. Cicerone describes his research interests and explains the qualities of a scientist and what makes science a unique enterprise. He also focuses on leadership in science discussing his work at UC Irvine to establish a department of geosciences and his goals as President of the National Academy of Science and Chair of the National Research Council. He reflects on his work on,“Climate Change Science: An Analysis on...

R. James Woolsey: Environmental Policy and National Security

R. James Woolsey
2010

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes former Director of Central Intelligence R. James Woolsey for a discussion of the linkages between oil dependence, climate change and national security. Woolsey discusses his involvement in the anti war and civil rights movements in the 1960's. He analyzes the end of the Cold War and the problem of shifting paradigms in national security. Focusing on energy and climate change, he recalls the origins of his focus on environmental issues and describes the opportunities and constraints in the portfolio of options that would transform energy dependency...

John Harte: Understanding the Global Environmental Crisis

John Harte
2009

Host Harry Kreisler welcomes Professor John Harte of UC Berkeley for a discussion of what environmental science teaches us about the potentially catastrophic consequences of a failure to address the current environmental crisis. His intellectual odyssey from physics to environmental studies offers important insight into how scientists have come to understand the relationship between humanity and nature and the necessary conditions for providing a balance that insures the well being of future generations. The conversation concludes with a discussion of how the present moment can be seized...

James Gustave Speth: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability

James Gustave Speth
2008

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Yale Professor James Gustav Speth for a discussion of his career in the environmental movement. Professor Speth traces his changing perspective on the appropriate response to the environmental crisis. Concluding that only a radical transformation of capitalism will save the planet for future generations, he outlines the changes in consciousness and in the political agenda that will be required.

http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people8/Speth/speth-con0....

James Gustave Speth: Manifesto for a New Economy

James Gustave Speth
2012

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes environmentalist James Gustave Speth, Professor of Law, Vermont Law School for a discussion of his new book, America The Possible: Manifesto for a New Economy. Speth discusses the systemic failure at the heart of the American crisis highlighting the inadequacy of a motivational system that focuses on economic growth, profits, and power to the detriment of people and the environment. In his view, the American system is broken. He criticizes progressives for not focusing on the big picture and thereby not recognizing the way issues like poverty,...