Clean Air Task Force Founder Armond Cohen to Speak at Dickinson College
Cohen, the 2020 recipient of Dickinson’s Rose-Walters Prize for Environmental Activism, will present a virtual talk via livestream on Oct. 12 at 7 p.m.
(Carlisle, Pa.) – The founder and executive director of Clean Air Task Force (CATF), Armond Cohen, will explore practical solutions to fight climate change in virtual public lecture from Dickinson College. The talk, “Hedgehogs and Foxes: Toward Climate Pragmatism,” will take place via livestream on Monday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. A link to view the lecture will be available at Dickinson.edu/Cohen.
Cohen’s lecture is part of The Sam Rose ’58 and Julie Walters Prize at Dickinson College for Global Environmental Activism, which was presented to Cohen earlier this year. The $100,000 prize is given annually to an individual or organization that makes a defining difference and advances responsible action on behalf of the planet, its resources and people.
Cohen, widely recognized for his thought leadership on climate, draws his lecture’s title from the philosopher Isaiah Berlin, who cited a fable about two kinds of thinkers: “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” Cohen will explain how “hedgehog” thinkers embrace single solutions to problems, while “foxes” see complexity, contingency and risk. Cohen will argue that climate pragmatism embraces multiple strategies and technologies, and a variety of market and policy approaches, to find what works.
Since its founding in 1996, CATF has been a leading force in reducing air pollution and climate pollutants from the nation’s power plants, industries and vehicles. Drawing on his roots as an environmental lawyer, Cohen has led CATF in campaigns to limit emissions from coal power plants and diesel engines. CATF has also led efforts to spur interest in “firm” renewable energy, like superhot deep geothermal energy and next-generation nuclear energy. In addition, CATF’s work led to the first-ever federal “price on carbon,” which provides a tax credit for capturing and storing carbon dioxide underground.
Cohen joins a distinguished group of prior recipients of the Rose-Walters Prize, including the Natural Resources Defense Council; Our Children’s Trust, the advocacy organization representing 21 young plaintiffs in the landmark federal climate change lawsuit Juliana v. United States; Brett Jenks, CEO of conservation nonprofit Rare; environmental activist, author and journalist Bill McKibben; Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Kolbert; award-winning actor and environmental activist Mark Ruffalo; Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives and former EPA administrator Lisa Jackson; and award-winning nature photographer James Balog.
About Dickinson College
Dickinson is a highly selective private liberal-arts college of 2,300 students and a national leader and innovator in sustainability education. Students are challenged through classroom studies, living laboratories, service learning, student-faculty research and study abroad to build the knowledge and skills that are needed to create a sustainable world. Opportunities for hands-on learning include working with community groups to protect local watersheds and air quality, learning about solar energy, growing food on the college’s USDA-certified organic farm and producing biogas from food waste. Sustainable practices and values are underscored by a commitment to climate neutrality, green building practices, socially responsible investment and diverse community engagement. Dickinson’s achievements and leadership have earned the highest recognitions from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, Sierra Magazine, the Sustainable Endowments Institute, The Princeton Review and Second Nature. www.dickinson.edu.
