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Forum speaker: Energy and climate, a national security issue, not a lifestyle issue
(Gloucester Daily Times, Mass. Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) May 10--Michael Klare, a professor of peace and world security studies at five major colleges, warned of the United States' dependency on foreign oil in a book he wrote four years ago.
The social critic will stop in Gloucester tomorrow when he will be Cape Ann Forum's guest speaker. Klare will present a critique of U.S. energy policy drawn from his new book "Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy," from 7 to 9 p.m. at Gloucester City Hall. The subject includes the impact of energy costs in a changing global economy.
"The single most requested subject for coverage at the forum over the past two years has been oil and politics," said Dan Connell, the forum's chairman. "The problem for us has always been who to approach that is not either embedded in one or another party to the problem (government, oil industry and so on) or so specialized as to be inappropriate for us. Michael is one of those rare people who can grapple with a subject of this magnitude and importance and talk to us in a language we can understand."
Klare could not be reached for comment, but Connell said he has followed his work for years and shared some comments.
Klare's last book, "Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing Dependency on Imported Petroleum," was a powerful warning of exactly the crises the nation now faces, said Connell, "because our politicians were not ready to face this issue with any degree of foresight or seriousness."
Connell sought out Klare to speak at the Cape Ann Forum when he learned about his latest book, in which he ties the rising costs of oil and the ongoing climate crisis to growing political instability around the world.
"Basically, (he's) saying that the energy crisis we are deep into today is a global security crisis," Connell said.
Klare, the author of more than a dozen books, has followed the arms trade over the years, focusing not only on the big weapons that grab front-page attention, but also the small arms trade, which is really what drives most of the conflict and instability around the world, Connell said.
"Klare argues that global warming should be dealt with as a crucial national security issue, not simply an environmental one, and that climate change poses a risk to our civilization as great or greater than that of nuclear war, yet our politicians deal with it as a side issue related more to lifestyle than to global security," he continued. "His overall prognosis is not good, but he has a lot to say about what needs to be done to turn this around. I think this could be one of the most informative and provocative forums we've had all year."
Klare teaches Peace and World Security Studies at Hampshire College. He is the defense correspondent for The Nation magazine. He serves on the boards of Human Rights Watch and the Arms Control Association. He has written for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Harper's, Newsweek, Scientific American, Mother Jones, and other media.
The evening also will feature the announcement of the third annual Cape Ann Forum Award for the Gloucester High School senior who has done the most to educate her or his peers on international issues. The prize carries a $500 scholarship.
The event is free to the public. Klare's books will be available for sale and signing. This is the forum's 43rd public event since the community-based nonprofit organization was launched after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, to increase public understanding of international issues.
Forums scheduled include "A Clockwork Afghanistan" on Oct. 5, with a lecture and slide show by Salem-based authors Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould. "Hot Topics in the Melting Arctic" is an event cosponsored by the Gloucester Lyceum, which will be held Nov. 9, featuring the Coast Guard Academy Institute for Leadership Director Scott Borgerson.
If you go
r What: Cape Ann Forum speaker series
r Who: Social critic Michael Klare will present a critique of U.S. energy policy drawn from his new book, "Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy"
r When: Tomorrow, from 7 to 9 p.m.
r Where: Gloucester City Hall
r How much: Free to the public
r Details: For more information, visit www.capeannforum.org
To see more of the Gloucester Daily Times or to subscribe, go to http://www.gloucestertimes.com/.
Copyright (c) 2008, Gloucester Daily Times, Mass.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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