The New York State Museum will present a March lecture and film series “Life on a Small Planet” focusing on the financial meltdown, as well as issues related to the sustainability of the world’s natural resources.
The free lectures and films will be offered on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. in March in the Huxley Theater. The schedule is:
* Wednesday, March 4 — “The Global Predicament: Increasing Consumption, Decreasing Abundance of Resources. Museum geologist Dr. Taury Smith will discuss current trends in population growth and resource consumption and provide the latest scientific information on global oil supplies and other trends in resource consumption and depletion.
* Sunday, March 8 — “Screening of Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.” Alice Oldfather, an Albany resident concerned about the implications of peak oil, will introduce the film and lead a discussion on what lessons can be learned from Cuba’s experience. Cuba survived a 75 percent decrease in oil consumption when imports from the former Soviet Union suddenly stopped. The film is 60 minutes long.
* Wednesday, March 11 — “Global Cooling?” Dr. Smith will discuss the latest scientific data. Climate change can be caused by both natural phenomena and human activity. Evidence suggests that the Earth is in cooler phases of natural climate variations, but that this is likely to change in the next few years.
* Wednesday, March 18 — “Why You Should Think About Peak Oil, Climate Change, and Economic Collapse When It Seems Much Nicer Not To.” This lecture will be presented by Sharon Astyk, the author of Depletion and Abundance: Life on the New Home Front, and the forthcoming A Nation of Farmers (with Aaron Newton, Spring 2009). Astyk homeschools her children, teaches, and is a subsistence farmer in upstate New York.
* Sunday, March 22 — “Screening of Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladahk.” This film, by Helena Norberg Hodge, examines the impact of economic globalization on successful centuries-old practices in the high Himalayan region of Ladahk, India. Sharon Hoffman, an Albany resident who spent two summers in Ladahk, will introduce the film, show slides from her trip to the region, and lead a discussion. The film is 60 minutes long.
* Wednesday, March 25 — “The Financial Meltdown and the Economics of Sustainability.” Dr. John Gowdy, a professor and ecological economist at RPI, will discuss the shift from a growth economy to a sustainable economy and how the world might then function. Topics covered will include the current revolution in economic theory, the ongoing financial meltdown, global climate change policy, and more.
The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission is free. For more information, call 474-5877 or visit the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.
