Symposium on climate change, sustainability

Experts from arts, humanities, sciences to speak

A symposium at West Valley College will bring together experts in the arts, humanities and natural and social sciences to tackle issues of climate change and sustainability.

Organized by the college’s sustainability and global citizenship committees, the third annual Earth Stewardship Symposium aims to reach the wider community — especially the youth — and inspire people to become active and make informed choices in their lives. The event takes place Thursday and Friday.

“I think it’s one of those things where although the scientific community has 97 percent accepted that climate change is a problem, it’s still not accepted by 100 percent of the population, obviously,” Heidi Brueckner, chair of the art department at WVC and member of the Global Citizenship Committee, said. “It’s something that people think is not imminent, so people tend to forget about it. So I think it’s good to keep it in the public eye.”

Brueckner estimates that at least 200 people attended last year’s symposium, which addressed issues such as fracking, recycling, waste, mass production, global warming and health. Speakers included Andy Gunther, executive director of the Bay Area Ecosystems Climate Change Consortium, and Dr. Daphne Miller, a family physician, writer and associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the UCSan Francisco.