Climate Expert, Katherine Hayhoe, to Speak at Houghton College

 One of Time Magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’ in 2014.

Dr. Katherine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist, an expert on climate change, a communicator and an evangelical Christian.

Time Magazine called her an "environmental evangelist" and a "smart person who defies stereotype."

Dr. Hayhoe will present a lecture on Climate Change from the perspective of evangelical Christian faith on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 8:30PM in the Center for Fine Arts (Recital Hall) at Houghton College. She’ll also present a shorter talk in the Chapel on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 11:05AM.

Both events will be free and open to the public.

“Within the Christian world there can be a lot of tension between faith and science, with many evangelicals accepting a false dichotomy that the two are opposed,” commented Brian Webb, sustainability coordinator for Houghton College.

“Hayhoe bridges this communication gap by not only bringing her expertise as a world renowned climate researcher, but also as a scientist who is vocal about her Christian faith. Ultimately, her work integrates the two areas by showing how responding to climate change is an inherently Christian thing to do.”

Katharine Hayhoe is an Associate Professor in the Public Administration program at Texas Tech University and Director of the Climate Science Center. Her research focuses on developing and applying high-resolution climate projections to evaluate the future impacts of climate change on human society and the natural environment. 

Dr. Hayhoe has published over 70 peer-reviewed publications and served as lead author on key reports for the U.S. Global Change Research Program and the National Academy of Sciences. She is also lead author for the 2014 Third U.S. National Climate Assessment, which provides critical input to planning and policy at the state and national level to reduce the human influence on climate and adapt to future change.

“Hayhoe’s visit is timely for us here at Houghton given that we’re about to go live with the largest solar array on a college campus in NY State within days of her visit. These are just two examples of how Houghton students are beginning to understand the connections between our faith and issues of environmental justice and sustainability,” Webb said.