Climate change expert to visit UF campus next week for several programs

January 18, 2011

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Leading environmental policy analyst Lynn Scarlett will be visiting the University of Florida campus next week to present a lecture and workshop and moderate a panel presentation.

In a keynote speech Jan. 25, Lynn Scarlett, a former deputy secretary and chief operating officer of the U.S. Department of the Interior under President George W. Bush, will discuss her thoughts and experience with shifting policies and implementation plans for energy and climate change in the U.S., as well as her work on Sen. Bob Graham’s Oil Spill Commission.

“Conservation in an Era of Scarcity,” starts at 8 p.m. in the Reitz Student Union Grand Ballroom. This event is free and open to the public. The program is presented by the UF Office of Sustainability, the Florida Climate Institute, the UF Water Institute and the Bob Graham Center for Public Service.

Scarlett will also give a seminar on her work in the Everglades at 3 p.m. Jan. 25 in Reitz Student Union Room 282 and a talk on “Green Careers” at 10 a.m. Jan. 26 in the Reitz Student Union Rion Ballroom. Additionally she will be moderating “Deep Water: A Special Report to the University of Florida by Oil Spill Commission Co-Chairs Bob Graham and William Reilly” at 6 p.m. Jan. 27 in the Pugh Hall Ocora.

Scarlett’s background and experiences will help bring renewed interest and conversation to topics surrounding the country’s current and projected future in terms of climate change, energy and green jobs, and provide unique insight into the history and outlook of climate policy.

“Ms. Scarlett is a seasoned policy leader whose fierce advocacy for climate-related adaptation and risk management at the federal level was game-changing,” said Anna Prizzia, director of the UF Office of Sustainability. “Her experience, knowledge and values transcend the many audiences present on campus, and her voice will resonate both with current professionals working for change and for the generation of leaders being fostered at UF today.”

In 2005 Scarlett was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Interior by Bush. In 2009 she was elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, and served as a distinguished visiting lecturer on climate change at the University of California Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and as an Adjunct Faculty with the Carnegie Mellon School of Public Policy. Scarlett also chaired the department’s Climate Change Task Force, and is the author of numerous publications regarding environmental policy.

Her visit is part of a number of concurrent events working to bring key stakeholders from around the region together for shared learning and strategizing for the state of Florida.

On Jan. 25-26, the Office of Sustainability will host the “Educational Alliance for a Sustainable Florida Roundtable” to gather sustainability professionals in higher education from around the state to identify collective challenges and opportunities for synergy across institutions.

On Jan. 26, the Florida Climate Institute will be facilitating a Climate Leaders Forum to highlight the importance of a multi-disciplinary, inclusive approach to addressing the challenges of climate change and variability to an audience of agency, research, and other stakeholders. The leaders of various centers and institutes around the state and region will serve on a Leaders Panel and host a discussion focusing on the benefits of collaborative efforts across disciplines and sectors.