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…nobody should graduate from high school or college without knowing how the earth works as a physical system and why that’s important for their lives and careers. And nobody should graduate without understanding the civic conditions we live in; why democracy is important.
—David Orr, Professor of Practice at Arizona State University
In this episode, Ten Across Conversations revisits a 2022 interview with Arizona State University Professor of Practice David Orr to coincide with the release of Orr’s new book Democracy in a Hotter Time: Climate Change and Democratic Transformation and his recent two-day symposium at ASU covering related topics. Ten Across founder and executive director Duke Reiter helped author this book along with 21 other leading scholars, public intellectuals and political leaders, including ASU President Michael Crow.
On August 27th and 28th, seven of the book’s co-authors gathered with ASU graduate students and national experts in law, international politics and communications to share insights into how democracy must evolve to meet the demands of a changing climate. The event was keynoted by a conversation between Orr and Crow on the role of universities in advancing democracy and our understanding of the planet. You can read more about that discussion here.
On the concluding day, Reiter and a panel of five postgraduate students of geographical sciences, urban design and architecture discussed how the building sector—and the public demand and policies that guide it—need to be more attuned to extreme heat and resource depletion worldwide. The discussants agreed that while technical solutions may already exist, the political will to implement them is often lagging.
The intersection of American democracy and climate change is a compelling and urgent topic. Listen in as Duke Reiter and David Orr reflect on the need to strengthen political discourse and creativity so that future climate deadlines can be met with more meaningful action.
Relevant links and resources:
“Heat Pumps for Peace and Freedom” (The Crucial Years, February 2022)
“Real Knowing: John Wesley Powell’s Prophetic Vision for the American West” (Ten Across Conversations, November 2021)
Democracy Unchained (Orr, et al., 2020)
Dangerous Years (Orr, 2018)
Guest Speaker
David Orr is the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics emeritus at Oberlin College and Professor of Practice at Arizona State University. David is the author of eight books and has written over 250 articles, reviews, book chapters and professional publications. As founder of the Atlanta Environmental Symposium, Meadowcreek Project and Oberlin Project, he has had a long-standing interest in sustainable design. His current work at Arizona State University is on the repair and strengthening of American democracy.
