Climate change event mishandled

Our views

The Olympian • Published September 16, 2007

Surely the Olympia City Council could have found a better use for the $25,000 they will spend to bring two environmental authors to town next month for a lecture on climate change.

They could have shown Al Gore’s movie on global warming for a fraction of the cost.

Yes, climate change is an important issue. And, yes, public education on the impacts of global warming to South Sound and what residents can do to minimize their individual impact is important. But what’s really galling is the fact that the two speakers, Andrew Revkin, author and environmental writer for The New York Times and Terry Tempest Williams, a naturalist and author, are not even going to take questions from the audience.

Wouldn’t a video conference have been more environmentally conscious?

Each speaker will receive $12,500 plus travel and lodging costs for their 30-minute presentation — about $435 per minute — and South Sound residents don’t even get to have their questions answered.

Hardly seems right, does it?