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January 12, 2007|Volume 35, Number 14|Two-Week Issue


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J. Gustave Speth



DeVane Lectures to ask: Are sustainability
and capitalism compatible?

The question of whether modern capitalism can sustain the environment -- and, conversely, whether the environment can sustain modern capitalism -- will be explored in this year's DeVane Lectures, which will be delivered during the spring semester by J. Gustave Speth, dean of the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES) and professor in the practice of sustainable development.

The DeVane Lectures are a special series of lectures that are open to the general public as well as to students and other members of the Yale community. They were established in 1969 in honor of William Clyde DeVane, dean of Yale College from 1939 to 1963. It is considered an honor to be chosen to deliver the DeVane Lectures, which are given by noted Yale faculty members. Previous DeVane Lecturers include Jonathan Spence, Vincent Scully, Paul Kennedy, the late Jaroslav Pelikan, Sidney Altman, Robert A.M. Stern, Gaddis Smith, Harold Bloom, Guido Calabresi, Roberto Gonzålez Echevarría and Annabel Patterson.

This year's DeVane Lectures -- titled "Modern Capitalism and Environment: Pathways to Sustainability or End of the Road?" -- will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 16. Speth will deliver 13 lectures on Tuesdays, 4-5:15 p.m., that are open to the public. The lectures will take place in SSS 114, 1 Prospect St.

Students can take the DeVane Lecture course for credit. In addition to the public lectures delivered by Speth, students will also meet for Thursday discussion groups led by teaching assistants. The location of these break-out sessions will be announced.

In his description of the DeVane Lecture course, Speth notes that a "fundamental question facing societies today is whether the world economy as it now exists can be tamed to operate within constraints that protect and preserve natural assets, and do so in the context of huge economic expansion -- the likely quadrupling of world economic activity by mid-century.

"After examining some of the recent analyses of ongoing deterioration of natural assets, this course will review from several perspectives the relationships among capitalism, growth and the environment," he continues. "It will then analyze critically a variety of prescriptions that have been offered to address this fundamental question. These prescriptions differ considerably in the degree of intervention or change proposed. Whether one urges modest adjustments or deep change depends on the degree to which one believes today's economic and political system is seriously or irreparably destructive and also on the analysis offered of the underlying systemic problems."

Speth is the author of the acclaimed book "Red Sky at Morning," which explores global environmental dangers. He has devoted his career to protecting the environment. He founded the World Resources Institute, which examined solutions to large-scale environmental threats, served as administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and was chair of the Council on Environmental Quality in the Carter administration. The council published the Global 2000 Report, which predicted global environmental challenges. Four years ago, Speth was awarded the Blue Planet Prize by the Tokyo-based Asahi Glass Foundation for his "lifetime of creative and visionary leadership in the search for science-based solutions to global environmental problems and for pioneering efforts to bring these issues, including global climate change, to broad international attention."

The dates and topics of Speth's individual public lectures are as follows: Jan. 16 -- "Between Two Worlds: Where We've Been, Where We're Headed"; Jan. 23 -- "Environmental Trends: Looking Into the Abyss"; Jan. 30 -- "Modern-Day Capitalism: A System Out of Control?"; Feb. 6 -- "The First Pathway: Traditional Environmentalism -- Incremental Reforms and 'Problem Solving'"; Feb. 13 -- "The Second Pathway: Taking Environmental Economics Seriously"; Feb. 20 -- "The Third Pathway: Ecological Economics and Challenge to Growth"; Feb. 27 -- "The Fourth Pathway: The Challenge to Corporate Power and Globalization"; March 6 -- "The Fifth Pathway: The Challenge to Consumption and Materialism"; March 27 -- "Interlude: Happiness and Measures of Well-Being"; April 3 -- "The Sixth Pathway: New Values, Old Truths"; April 10 -- "The Seventh Pathway: The Challenge to Modern Capitalism"; April 17 -- "The Eight Pathway: New Politics, Real Democracy"; and April 24 -- "Reflections."

The course will consist of readings of copied materials (available at Tyco Printing and Copying, 262 Elm St.) and in two books, "Red Sky at Morning" (Speth's earnings to be given to charity) and "The Corporation." Both of these books are available at Labyrinth Books, 290 York St. All materials are also on reserve at Sterling Memorial Library, 120 High St., and at the F&ES Library, 205 Prospect St.


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DeVane Lectures to ask: Are sustainability and capitalism compatible?

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Campus Notes


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