Common Book author encourages discussion

More than 1,000 UW students and alumni attended a Common Book panel at 7 p.m. yesterday at Hec Edmundson Pavilion to discuss Field Notes from a Catastrophe, the latest book from award-winning journalist Elizabeth Kolbert.

Kolbert, along with King County Executive Ron Sims and David Battisti, UW professor of atmospheric sciences, conversed about environmental consciousness and what it will take to change today's society.

Kolbert spoke of the need for a drastic economic shift toward choosing environmentally friendly policies, no matter the cost.

"We are going to have to change our incentives economically and be willing to spend more money on fossil fuels," Kolbert said. "If we had higher prices for these fuels like most countries do, then people would cut back their usage."

Kolbert urged students to be more passionate about the issue.

"If I were you, I would be pissed off," she said. "It's up to you to pick up the pieces that our generation messed up."

The need to focus on governmental changes, as well as individual efforts, was also emphasized. All three panelists voiced the opinion that the United States needs to take a lead in global attempts to address rising temperatures.

"This is a universal problem," Battisti said.

Kolbert agreed.

"It's going to be the next president's choice to commit to long-term dedication in the fight against global warming," she said.

Students asked what they could do individually to fight global warming, as well as whether the media is unbiased in depicting environmental issues.

Freshman Kelsey Larsen found the information motivating.

"I think that the points that they made about climate change were really interesting," she said. "But I also thought that what they were explaining didn't really make a lot of sense. I felt like they were just repeating a lot of the facts that were in the book."

Sims ended the night with a push to inspire students.

"You can go through life and never make a wave, or you can make a small wave that barely changes the shoreline," he said. "Or you can change the shoreline completely. It's up to your generation to change the shoreline."

[Reach reporter Chantal Anderson at news@thedaily.washington.edu]