The Malibu Library Speakers Series 2016 season continues its environmental theme with a panel discussion featuring highly acclaimed environmentalists on Tuesday, August 30 at 7:00 PM at the Malibu Civic Theater. Panelists include UC Santa Cruz Professor Gary Griggs; ocean and climate scientist Sarah Myhre; Executive Director of Climate Resolve Jonathon Parfrey; and Malibu resident, author and environmental filmmaker Randy Olson. They will address various levels of influence of climate change, including global, regional and local, and how they will impact Malibu.
“The Speaker Series continues to present bring timely and unique discussions to Malibu,” said Mayor Lou La Monte. “Beachfront communities are on the front lines of climate change and this forum offers us a valuable opportunity to learn about and plan to protect Malibu’s precious, fragile ecosystem.”
The event will be moderated by 10-year Malibu resident Randy Olson, writer-director of “Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus,” and author of “Houston, We Have A Narrative.” The moderated panel discussion will include photo and video presentations, questions from the audience, and a reception with refreshments.
“I am thrilled to be moderating this important discussion about how climate change is impacting our environment and our lives here at home in Malibu,” Randy Olson said. “Gary, Jonathan and Sarah bring deep knowledge, passion, and an excellent range of local, global and regional perspectives that will make this discussion especially relevant to Malibu residents, who are so concerned with protecting their environment and their community.”
Jonathon Parfrey, who grew up in the Trancas neighborhood of Malibu, will offer a regional perspective to the discussion. Parfrey founded the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability and the statewide Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate Adaptation.
Gary Griggs is a distinguished professor of earth sciences at UC Santa Cruz and director of the Institute of Marine Sciences. Griggs grew up in the San Fernando Valley and spent summers with his family on Zuma Beach in the 1950s, was an avid surfer in the 1960s, and has photos of Broad Beach over the decades. He will focus on Broad Beach — how it got to where it is, the disappearing beach and sand-replenishment project, and what we can expect with sea level rise and climate change.
Sarah Myhre will round out the discussion by offering a global perspective of climate change. Myhre is a research associate and Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Washington’s School of Oceanography.
