UW to ‘Focus the Nation’ at public forum tonight

LuAnne Thompson didn’t have to think long or hard about what she could bring to the table in the fight against global warming.

“What can I do as a professor?” said Thompson, a UW associate professor of oceanography. “I can teach.”

In that spirit she spent the past year spearheading the organization and planning of Focus the Nation, a massive teach-in about the science of and solutions to global warming that will be held today in the HUB and in Kane Hall.

The UW is one of more than 1,550 institutions — mostly colleges and universities — in the United States that will participate in Focus the Nation. The event is free and open to the public.

The goal of Focus the Nation is to educate people about climate change and what they can do to combat it, said Rehana Lanewala, a UW graduate student who worked closely with Thompson to organize the event.

Individuals can make an impact through lifestyle choices by advocating for changes in “economy, politics and society,” Lanewala said.

The event will begin in the HUB at 10 a.m. with a round of panel presentations, lectures and exhibitions by UW faculty and students, businesses, and representatives from local governmental and nonprofit organizations.

From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Kane Hall there will be a town hall discussion featuring prominent local politicians. Steve Sher of National Public Radio will moderate the discussion.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, State Sen. Phil Rockefeller (D-Kitsap County) and King County Executive Ron Sims will speak at the town hall meeting, and State Rep. Fred Jarrett (D-Mercer Island) will appear in a pre-recorded video cast.

Presentations in the HUB auditorium will include “Global Warming: Facts, Fiction and Solutions” by Thomas Ackerman, a UW professor of atmospheric sciences, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., and “Why Values are the Glue of Social Movements,” by communication professor David Domke, from 11 a.m. to noon.

Panel discussions will be held in the HUB from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will include “Science at the Cutting Edge,” “Can Capitalism Save Us?” and “Climate Change Impacts on Indigenous Populations.”

The HUB ballroom will also host a variety of exhibitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., including Audubon Washington and Sound Transit.

Registration for the evening town hall discussion is recommended to ensure seating in Kane 130. Overflow seating will be available in Kane 220, where the event will be shown on a live video feed. The discussion will also be broadcast on the Web.

“You have to think about your future; [global warming] is an issue that’s going to affect you for your entire life,” Thompson said.

[Reach reporter Jacob Olson at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]