Speaker: David Spence, Professor of Natural Resources Law, University of Texas
In this talk, Spence will discuss his book, Climate of Contempt (Columbia U. Press, 2024). The analysis explores a set of voter-centric dynamics driving the bitter partisanship that is the key impediment to transitioning the United States to a net-zero carbon future. Members of Congress respond to voters whose animosity toward the opposing party makes compromise politically risky for them. The most powerful driver of that animosity is the mixture of ideological and social media that constitutes today’s information environment, which amplifies anger, spreads half-truths and falsehoods, and sows division, distorting voters’ understandings of the energy transition and their fellow citizens.
The Weston Roundtable is made possible by a generous donation from Roy F. Weston, a highly accomplished UW-Madison alumnus. Designed to promote a robust understanding of sustainability science, engineering, and policy, these interactive lectures are co-sponsored by the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Office of Sustainability.