The Forum at Newport 2024 will feature a distinguished lineup of speakers, including former Secretary of State John Kerry, who will deliver the keynote address on September 5. This half-day conference, scheduled from 1:30 to 6 p.m. at the O’Hare Academic Building, will focus on the intersection of climate change with geo-strategic and national security issues.
Presented by the Pell Center and the U.S. Naval War College, the event aims to shed light on how environmental changes, such as reduced rainfall and resultant droughts, can precipitate food shortages and famine. These conditions, experts argue, may escalate into political violence, civil unrest, and international conflict.
The conference will also feature U.S. Senator Jack Reed, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, as well as Dr. Thomas Barnett, author of America’s New Map: Restoring Our Global Leadership in an Era of Climate Change and Demographic Collapse, and Sherri Goodman, author of Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security.
Dr. Jim Ludes, vice president for strategic initiatives and executive director of the Pell Center, emphasized the profound implications of climate change: “The disruption of environmental equilibrium threatens fundamental aspects of human existence, including food and water security, and regional stability. Climate-induced resource competition is expected to increase the likelihood of conflict both within and between states, reshaping the geography of energy and conflict and endangering lives and economies.”
This event represents the second in a series designed to enhance collaboration and scholarly engagement between the two prominent higher education institutions on Aquidneck Island.
Registration is open.
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