Institute of Politics

“Thirty years ago, we had a chance to save the planet. The science of climate change was settled. The world was ready to act. Almost nothing stood in our way – except ourselves.” So begins “Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change,” The New York Times Magazine’s special August issue that examines how close humankind came to addressing the dangers of climate change in the 1980s. Now, join the IOP and the Pulitzer Center as we welcome Nathaniel Rich, the author of “Losing Earth," to discuss his work in producing this story and reflect on similarities and differences between the decade studied in the piece and our present moment. From October 22-25, George Steinmetz's photographs for the piece will be on display in The McCormick Tribune Lounge. Mr. Rich is a writer-at-large for The New York Times Magazine and the author of three novels. He frequently contributes to The New York Review of Books, The Atlantic, and Harper’s. This conversation will be moderated by Dr. Kim Wolske, research associate and assistant professor at the Harris School of Public Policy and fellow with the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC).