Our popular Penny University series returns to flip the script on a standard Town Hall event. Instead of presenting the ideas of an expert, Penny U prompts the audience to become participants and explore big ideas through community conversation and popular education. Seattle cultural activist Anne Focke and Town Hall Curator of Lectures Edward Wolcher guide us through prompts and questions to use our knowledge to elevate community discourse. This evening’s conversation has also been framed by John Boylan, Tom Corddry, Theresa Earenfight, Carolyn Law, and Warren Wilkins.

This climate crisis edition of Penny University asks all of us to imagine ourselves in positions of power to make radical political or economic decisions in response to climate change.

Imagine that some great shock has galvanized the world at last, and made it clear that we must address climate change as an absolute emergency—every moment counts. The UN General Assembly and the Security Council have voted unanimously to convene a Climate Crisis Response Team. You’re on it. You have deep pockets and a blank slate, but very little time. How do you allocate money, attention, time, policy, and legislation? What are your top priorities? How do you trade off between mitigating damage that’s already been done, preventing new damage, and reversing the causes of damage to make it possible for the climate to improve? Discuss, listen, and learn from one another as we envision a better world!

Presented by Town Hall Seattle.