Wouldn’t it be great if politicians and other political activists based their actions on sound evidence, rationale and common sense? If you answered “no,” then you are probably one of those activists who thinks that it does not matter how much damage you eventually do, how much you screw things up, as long as you had good intentions in the first place.
We all know people like this: they sit in the back during the econ lectures and catcall the professor anytime they don’t like what is being said, and they’re going to vote for Dennis Kucinich in the upcoming primary. Well, regardless of whether you fit this description (and would be willing to pull your head out of the clouds for a couple hours) or not, on Tuesday, Sept. 30, we have a guest on campus who is worthy of your time and attention.
CFACT (Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow), a registered student organization committed to ensuring that society can provide for its needs and protect the environment at the same time, is proud and honored to invite Dr. Kelvin Kemm to campus to inform us how these “do-gooding” pseudo-environmentalists, who think they are always right and everyone else is always wrong, base their arguments on shaky and unproven logic and are actually doing great harm to those they are seeking to help, and even some they haven’t considered.
The main focus of this event will be to educate UW students on the many challenges faced by the developing world, and how wrongheaded global environmental policies — and their proponents — are making these challenges worse.
Themes discussed will include meeting the energy needs of rapidly growing nations, wildlife populations, and pesticide use to end epidemics and save lives. Local problems need local solutions and should be approached as such. Sound policy in one area is often unwise, or even damaging, in another. This means that, for example, “do-gooding” activists in Berkeley, Seattle and Madison are probably not the most-informed and best advocates for policymaking in Third World countries, many of which these activists could not even identify on a map if they had to.
Dr. Kemm hails from South Africa, and unlike most political activists, he actually has firsthand knowledge and experience about the topics of which he is speaking. He earned doctorate degrees in mathematics and nuclear physics and has worked on many projects in a diverse array of industrial fields, giving him a good understanding of the technological and industrial bases of the South African economy. Using his experience and knowledge in these fields, Kemm began a campaign to inform the public and policymakers about sensible technological and environmental policy that is both scientifically accurate and balanced; his commitment to informing and awareness has led Kemm to publish more than 1,000 popular articles in respected newspapers, magazines and journals worldwide.
Kemm has been bestowed numerous honors and recognitions, among them receiving his own column in Engineering News; the National Science and Technology Forum’s Lifetime Achiever’s Award in Science and Technology; an entry in the 2001 “Who’s Who in the World”; and being the first African to be appointed to the European Science and Environment Forum.
UW claims to be a “marketplace of ideas,” and CFACT, with the aid of Dr. Kelvin Kemm, plans to contribute ideas based upon proven scientific evidence and common sense (both of which can sometimes be hard to find on the market). This Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. in Grainger Hall (room 2120), treat yourself to a couple hours of stimulating conversation with Dr. Kemm. Bring your friends, bring questions, bring comments, bring criticism, but most importantly, bring an open mind.
Blake Klinkner ([email protected]) is a UW student and member of CFACT.