{"id":54892,"date":"2017-03-03T13:23:05","date_gmt":"2017-03-03T18:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.nybg.org\/plant-talk\/?p=54892"},"modified":"2017-03-03T13:23:05","modified_gmt":"2017-03-03T18:23:05","slug":"threshold-biodiversity-climate-and-humanity-at-a-crossroads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/2017\/03\/learning\/threshold-biodiversity-climate-and-humanity-at-a-crossroads\/","title":{"rendered":"Threshold: Biodiversity, Climate, and Humanity at a Crossroads"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Hourglass.crop1-Copy.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"54926\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/2017\/03\/learning\/threshold-biodiversity-climate-and-humanity-at-a-crossroads\/attachment\/l0011338-hourglass-in-red-leather-covered-case-second-of-two-views\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Hourglass.crop1-Copy.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1286,1800\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Wellcome Library, London&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;L0011338 Hourglass in red leather covered case, second of two views.\\rCredit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images\\rimages@wellcome.ac.uk\\rhttp:\\\/\\\/wellcomeimages.org\\rHourglass in red leather covered case, second of two views.\\rPublished:  - \\r\\rCopyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http:\\\/\\\/creativecommons.org\\\/licenses\\\/by\\\/4.0\\\/&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http:\\\/\\\/creativecommons.org\\\/licenses\\\/by\\\/4.0\\\/&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;L0011338 Hourglass in red leather covered case, second of two views.&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"L0011338 Hourglass in red leather covered case, second of two views.\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Hourglass.crop1-Copy-214x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Hourglass.crop1-Copy-732x1024.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-54926\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Hourglass.crop1-Copy-214x300.jpg\" alt=\"L0011338 Hourglass in red leather covered case, second of two views.\" width=\"214\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Hourglass.crop1-Copy-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Hourglass.crop1-Copy-768x1075.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Hourglass.crop1-Copy-732x1024.jpg 732w, https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Hourglass.crop1-Copy.jpg 1286w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px\" \/><\/a>Humanity has reached a crossroads in the effort to combat climate change and protect biodiversity. On March 9, the Garden will host the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/education\/mertz-library\/humanities\/events.php\">Humanities Institute\u2019s Fourth Annual Symposium<\/a>, offering a vital discussion between\u00a0three renowned experts and the larger public on biodiversity and nature conservation in the era of climate change. Convened by the Humanities Institute and the <a href=\"http:\/\/scienceandsociety.columbia.edu\/\">Center for Science and Society at\u00a0Columbia University<\/a>, this symposium will serve as a critical introduction to vital issues about the future of life on Earth, as we ask ourselves challenging questions that need expert knowledge and guidance. For example, what does biodiversity mean in the broader context of 21st-century environmental politics and ethics, and in the specific case of the 2016 Paris Agreement? Is there a common, sustainable future possible in this new period of American isolationism? What are the most urgent ecological, political, and ethical laws that need enforcing to ascertain the availability of the world\u2019s natural resources to tomorrow\u2019s generation?<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>We are\u00a0fortunate to be able to welcome <strong>Professor<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Shahid Naeem<\/strong>, Director of Science at the <a href=\"http:\/\/eices.columbia.edu\/\">Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability<\/a> (EICES) at Columbia University\u2014whose research under the motto of \u201cecology without apology\u201d has laid many of the foundations for thinking about biodiversity and conservation\u2014as his presentation, <em>Sustainability in an Age of Mass Extinction and Isolationism<\/em>, will show.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Professor Ursula Heise<\/strong>, Marcia H. Howard Chair in Literary Studies, Department of English\/<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ioes.ucla.edu\/\">Institute of the Environment and Sustainability<\/a>, University of California, Los Angeles, adds intriguing visions about post-human landscapes in her contribution, <em>Where the Wild Things Used To Be: Narrative, Biodiversity, and Dystopia<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Professor John Nagle<\/strong>, John N. Mathews Chair at the Notre Dame Law School will compare historical and current eco-legislation in his talk, <a href=\"http:\/\/law.nd.edu\/\"><em>The Inimitable Endangered Species Act<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>All three have made contributions of fundamental importance to the way that biodiversity, endangered landscapes, and species are represented and addressed in literature, law, and a variety of other disciplines in academia and beyond. <em>Threshold<\/em> will conclude with a panel discussion and questions from the audience on the prospects for a new environmental ethic for the 21st century. In conversation with the wider NYBG audience, the three speakers hope to advance solutions for several of the most pressing questions of our modern age. Please register today\u00a0at <a href=\"http:\/\/adulted.nybg.org:8080\/cart65\/jsp\/session.jsp?sessionId=173BOT801&amp;courseId=172BOT801&amp;categoryId=11058\">nybg.org\/adulted<\/a> for this important event.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Support for the Humanities Institute provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On March 9, Threshold will bring together three renowned scholars to discuss the implications of the climate crisis for the future of life on Earth and address the elements needed to respond to this most daunting challenge in human history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38589,"featured_media":54926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[438,52],"tags":[4022,4339,5222],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Hourglass.crop1-Copy.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/ph0lU-ehm","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54892"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38589"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54892"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54932,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54892\/revisions\/54932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}