Until the mid-1990s, the U.S. spearheaded most efforts to manage the world’s climate problems; it was the source of most new ideas and most of the practical work that led to global institutions. Since the mid-1990s that role has passed to the European Union, and over the last few years the U.S. has been seen as less than credible in the rest of the world. Why has so little progress been made on the climate issue and what does this mean for the U.S.?

UC San Diego Professor David G. Victor will lead a lecture titled “Is America Relevant? The Global Effort to Manage Climate Change” this Thursday, January 26 in UC San Diego’s Social Sciences Building, room 107. Victor is director of the Laboratory on International Law and Regulation at UC San Diego’s School of International Relations and Pacific Studies. He is an expert in topics related to international environmental regulation, energy markets, and international law. His books include Global Warming Gridlock and Natural Gas and Geopolitics.

The lecture is part of the UC San Diego – California Western School of Law 2011-2012 Joint Speaker Series From Climate Change to Global Sustainability: The Great Transition. The series brings together experts from climate science, law, economics, and politics to assess the current impasse and chart the path to a sustainable future.

For questions about the series or to RSVP for this lecture, please contact Jackie Tam at 858-822-5297 or iicas-events@ucsd.edu.