Norman Wirzba

Theologian and philosopher Norman Wirzba helps us understand how reframing climate change as a crisis of culture can chart a way out of our current predicament. Wirzba’s work centers on actively pursuing hope as a means to build the world in which we wish to live. Drawing on his background and teaching experiences, Wirzba, a professor with Duke Divinity School, explains how his ethics of care have helped him work toward a better world.

Adriane Lentz-Smith

What can the past tell us about the future? In this episode, historian Adriane Lentz-Smith, a professor with Duke’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, explains how today’s natural disasters should be seen as deeply tied to the decisions and experiences of past societies. History asks us to think about who we want to be while we are here. What sort of world do we want to build for the next generation?

Richard Larrick

We make decisions—both large and small—all the time. Sometimes, we make decisions based on incomplete information. What would our response to climate change be if we had access to more and better information about the consequences of our decisions? In this episode, behavioral psychologist Rick Larrick, a Fuqua School of Business professor, talks to us about the way that better information can help us tackle the everyday problems of climate change.

Sandra Valnes Quammen

Language is never neutral, and the language we use to talk about climate change impacts the way we respond to it. Sandra Valnes Quammen, a Duke professor with Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, explains how the language we use about climate change frames the way we understand the problem and how we can solve it.

Emily Bernhardt

We can make smart and innovative decisions to help the planet. With some effort, we can build a sustainable future. Ecologist Emily Bernhardt, a Duke professor with Nicholas School of the Environment and Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, explains what we must do to begin effectively responding to climate change. We can tackle climate change in the research field and in the classroom. In this episode, Bernhardt explains how.

Connel Fullenkamp

How do we unlock financial markets to solve climate change? That’s where the money is, after all! Nature does all sorts of wonderful things for us—things that we value. Can we encourage investors to recognize the power of markets to reflect the value that nature brings to our lives? Join Connel Fullenkamp, a Duke professor with Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, as he talks about how the markets can recognize the benefits that nature provides.

Sara Oliver

Civil engineering is one of the factors contributing to climate change. It is also one of the most important ways that we can get out of the problems we face. Civil engineer Sara Oliver, a professor with Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering, discusses how aging infrastructure offers opportunities, not roadblocks, to building more climate resilient communities. How can we do things differently to benefit the planet?

Liz Kalies

The renewable energy transition is happening far more rapidly than anyone thought it would. Ecologist Liz Kalies, a faculty member in the Nicholas School of the Environment, explains why and how the renewable energy transition is happening. She also shares her role in supporting Duke students to help hasten the transition away from fossil fuels.

Credits

Thank you to the following Duke faculty members for their course instruction and perspectives on these videos: Emily Bernhardt, Connel Fullenkamp, Liz Kalies, Richard Larrick, Adriane Lentz-Smith, Sara Oliver, Sandra Valnes Quammen and Norman Wirzba.

And thanks to postdoctoral associate Justin Shapiro, video production team Big Toe Media and the support of Duke University Marketing and Communications.