Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

See the Conversations with History Blog See a webcast of this interview: Myers See also: Dr. Myers's wildlife photography from Kenya.

This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest today is Dr. Norman Myers. Norman Myers is an environmental scientist who has been called the Paul Revere of the environmental movement. He is a Fellow at Green College, Oxford University; the Andrew D. White Professor at Large at Cornell University; and an advisor at the World Bank's Global Environment Facility. He is at Berkeley as the Charles M. and Martha Hitchcock Professor. Professor Myers has won many awards, including the Volvo Environment Prize and the United Nations' Sasakawa Prize. He has published more than 250 papers in professional journals, 300 popular articles in newspapers and magazines, and 15 books with sales of one million copies in 11 languages. He is the originator of the biodiversity hot-spot strategy that has generated over $300 million for conservation activities.

1. Background ... influence of parents ... colonial administrator ... photographer ... education
2. Learning to "Think Sideways" at Berkeley ... interdisciplinary graduate studies ... the dog that didn't bark
3. Conceptualizing Environmental Problems ... trade-offs and interlinkages ... global and long-term perspective ... raising the right question
4. Political Activism ... learning from a anti-nuclear activist scientists ... economic linkages ... expanding our loyalties ... hope
5. Perverse Subsidies
6. Preparing to be an Environmental Scientist ... interdisciplinary focus ... public speaking ... becoming empowered ... learning to learn ... good science
7. Conclusion ... America's weaknesses and strengths

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