Why Environmental Sustainability is Not a Technological Problem
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After more than 25 years as an environmental sustainability researcher, Dr. Roland Geyer has concluded that: 1) Humanity is not moving any closer toward environmental sustainability. In a variety of critically important dimensions, we’re moving further away from it. 2) This lack of progress is not due to lack of sustainability science or sustainable technologies. It is at this point entirely a behavioral problem rather than a technological one.
In his lecture, he will first show how existing scientific assessments and global time series data substantiate the first conclusion. This enables us to identify an important mechanism behind our lack of environmental progress. Then, through a variety of examples–such as food production, transportation, and other energy services–he’ll show why the reason behind this lack of progress is behavioral rather than technological. He will finish with important conclusions from this insight.
Dr. Roland Geyer, Professor of Industrial Ecology at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UCSB
Dr. Roland Geyer, Professor of Industrial Ecology at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UCSB. Prior to
joining the Bren School, Dr. Geyer held research positions at the Centre for Environmental Strategy (University of Surrey, UK), the Centre for the Management of Environmental Resources (INSEAD, France), and was a financial risk management consultant in Germany. In his research, Dr. Geyer uses life cycle assessment, material flow analysis, regression analysis, and other methods to assess pollution prevention strategies based on reuse, recycling, and material and technology substitution. His work on plastics and the circular economy is widely covered in the media and received various awards. Roland received a graduate degree in physics from the Technical University Berlin, Germany, and a Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Surrey, UK.
Location: Our speaker will present in person at Community West Bank conference room at 445 Pine Ave. off Hollister Ave. in Goleta, and on Zoom. When you register, we send a confirmation email containing Zoom data, directions to the in-person location and meal details.
About our Meetings:
- Our monthly meetings are now hybrid meetings! You may attend either in person or via Zoom. Some speakers will be presenting in person and others remotely. When you register, you can add payment for lunch if you plan to attend in person. Lunch will be a buffet with a selection of sandwiches from Three Pickles, chips and cold drinks. If you have special dietary concerns, please contact Cheryl Ebner at [email protected].
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- See our YouTube channel, which contains our growing archive of recent presentations!
- Have an idea for a future meeting? Please contact program chair Yvonne DeGraw, [email protected].
Upcoming SEC meetings:
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Tech Talks Around Town:
- February 7, 7:30pm, SB Astronomical Unit: The Underground Search for Dark Matter
- February 8, 10am, SB Botanic Garden: 12th Annual Conservation Symposium
- February 10, 6:30pm, Museum of Natural History: Science Pub: Lemurs with a Side of Sulfur
- February 13, 7:30pm, Las Cumbres Observatory: Astronomy on Tap
- February 19, 5:30pm, Ventech: 2025 Mixer
- February 20, 6pm, KITP Public Lecture: Outer Space to Inner Space: Gravitational Waves to the Higgs Boson
Virtual Attendance: Yes
Location:
Community West Bank Conference Room, and Zoom
445 Pine Avenue
Goleta CA 93117