Dickinson College is hosting the International Climate Symposium next month. The symposium, which has the full title of the Science-Based Choices for Climate Action: Insights from the IPCC 6th Assessment Report, will take place in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium from October 24 through October 26 and is on the IPCC’s sixth assessment report about climate change.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is an intergovernmental organization of the United Nations, fills the role of expanding knowledge on climate change and how humans contribute to it. One of the organization’s most well-known contributions to climate change awareness is their series of assessment reports that, according to the IPCC’s website, assess the “state of scientific, technical and socio-economic knowledge on climate change.”

The panel’s sixth assessment report warns of the urgency with which humans must act to meaningfully combat climate change and defines avenues humans can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“In this last report, the science is increasingly clear that human-caused climate change is impacting all corners of the world,” said Dr. Kristin Strock, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Dickinson, “Fortunately, it also makes clear that there are solutions at hand that can be employed to mitigate and adapt to these changes.”

Upon announcing the symposium via its website, Dickinson stated, “authors of the newest reports from [the IPCC], policy makers, other experts, and the audience will engage in conversations about findings from the [IPCC’s sixth assessment report], why they matter, and how they can be used to mobilize more ambitious and equitable actions on climate change.”

The three-day long program will also celebrate the IPCC’s receipt of the 2022 Sam Rose and Julie Walters Prize at Dickinson College for Global Environmental Activism. The prize, given annually, grants a minimum of $100,000 “to individuals or organizations that have made a defining difference by advancing responsible action on behalf of the planet, its resources, animals and people.”

The symposium will feature a handful of climate experts including Hoesung Lee, IPCC Chairman; Ko Barrett, NOAA’s Senior Advisor for Climate; Debra Rowe, President of the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development; Kit Kennedy, a member of the Natural Resources Defense Council; Armond Cohen, co-founder and President of the Clean Air Task Force; among more.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf was also invited to speak during the last discussion of the symposium, but Director of Scheduling for the Governor’s Office Betsy Phillips told The Dickinsonian that Governor Wolf would not be attending the event.

“The International Climate Symposium is an amazingly unique opportunity for students, faculty, staff, and local communities to have access to the folks leading this monumental effort—to ask them questions and listen to their experiences engaging in this work day in and day out,” Dr. Strock said.

While the symposium is free to attend, tickets must be obtained in advance via Dickinson’s website. Registration for remote viewing is also available for those unable to attend in-person.