One Day University

On the heels of his extremely popular One Day University lecture on the possibility of other intelligent life in the universe, Professor of Astronomy David Helfand now turns his attention back toward the planet earth. He categorizes the influences on earth’s climate as those which are predictable, measured, and understood (e.g., changes in earth’s orbit), those which are predictable, measured, and only partially understood (e.g., the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere), and those which are unpredictable, poorly measured, and not well understood at all (e.g., ocean circulation). Helfand places the problem in the context of the highly accurate measurements we have of the long-term history of earth’s climate. He will assess the likely impact of climate change on ourselves and our grandchildren and address whether anything can reasonably be done to regulate the earth’s climate.