From Battell to Baku: How a degree in Am Lit led from Transcendentalism to Climate Finance

Charlie Kronick ‘78 will join a conversation moderated by students Maya Teiman ‘25 and Ken Deng ‘24.5. The impacts of climate change, including physical impacts - rising sea levels, shrinking glaciers, more intense extreme weather events (including Helene and Milton) - are ubiquitous and plain to see. The climate crisis is an existential threat on a variety of levels. Yet the response to this global problem is disputed, deeply polarizing, far from rational and for many audiences signifies far beyond its actual “real world” manifestation. Avoiding catastrophic climate change will require investment on a scale not currently imagined let alone committed. But political actors and investors are increasingly fearful of attack from vested interests feeding a public perception that although climate is concerning, the solutions cost too much and won’t solve their immediate everyday problems. Simply put, in a “post truth” world, how can we convince the actors, any actors, that they need to act? 

If you saw this event via Connections, there was a typo and the correct date is Tuesday, Oct 29 at 4:30p. Please click here to register via Zoom.

Also, click here to learn more and register for the next event in the series on November 14^th. Umar Serajuddin ‘96 (World Bank) will return to campus for a conversation moderated by Lomus Pudasaini ‘25 (Economics) and Lillian Caldwell ‘26 (Economics).

As Senior Programme Advisor at Greenpeace UK, Charlie Kronick has worked at Greenpeace and beyond in the fields of environment and development as an activist, boat driver, campaigner, and writer for over three decades. For over 15 years since the financial crisis, he has focused on the risks from a failure to accelerate transition away from fossil fuels, not just to communities and the climate, but also to capital markets from ongoing investment in oil and gas.

This event is part of the Middlebury Alums’ Global Sustainability Speaker Series.  

Sponsored by Sustainability & Environmental Affairs and Climate Action Program