{"id":27863,"date":"2026-04-09T12:02:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T16:02:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/?post_type=story&#038;p=27863"},"modified":"2026-04-09T12:02:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T16:02:23","slug":"the-climate-crisis-will-be-the-focus-of-april-13-clark-forum","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/09\/the-climate-crisis-will-be-the-focus-of-april-13-clark-forum\/","title":{"rendered":"The climate crisis will be the focus of April 13 Clark forum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-intro has-large-font-size\">NYT\u2019s Thomas Friedman, Ceres CEO Mindy Lubber to serve on panel<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like any complex challenge, the global climate crisis demands collaboration and collective action. Clark University\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/climate-environment-society\/\">School of Climate, Environment, and Society<\/a>&nbsp;(CES) is a bold response to the urgent realities of climate and environmental change, designed to inspire and mobilize a community of leaders, scholars, and partners to challenge the status quo and help redesign a more sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group alignright boxout has-white-color has-dark-green-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-a035706dfb22fc2c41dc08eb8f509f44 is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"is-style-intro\" style=\"font-size:1.3rem\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/events\/event\/school-of-climate-environment-and-society-forum\/\">Register for the CES Forum \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pre-registration is strongly recommended; overflow seating will be available in the University Center. This event will not be livestreamed.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>To that end, the School is hosting a special climate forum on Monday, April 13, at 4 p.m. in Tilton Hall at the Higgins University Center.&nbsp;<em>New York Times<\/em>&nbsp;columnist Thomas Friedman will moderate a discussion with Mindy Lubber, president and CEO of the sustainability nonprofit Ceres, and Lou Leonard, the D.J.A. Spencer Dean of the School of Climate, Environment, and Society. Clark President David Fithian will offer introductory remarks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Friedman, Lubber, and Leonard will discuss their perspectives on where we are today in terms of climate progress, interdisciplinary climate solutions, the role of universities in driving environmental change, community-centered climate action, and preparing future leaders to address complex global challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis panel is just one example of how CES brings together diverse perspectives to address the interconnected climate, environmental, societal, and economic crises shaping the 21st century,\u201d Fithian said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/FriedmanHeadshot-320x480-1.avif\" alt=\"Thomas Friedman\" class=\"wp-image-27864\" style=\"width:280px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Thomas L. Friedman<\/strong>\u00a0is an internationally renowned author, reporter, and columnist. He joined\u00a0<em>The New York Times<\/em>\u00a0as a reporter in 1981, going on to serve as the Beirut bureau chief, Jerusalem bureau chief, the diplomatic correspondent in Washington, D.C., and later the White House correspondent and economic correspondent. He began writing the paper\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/thomas-l-friedman\">foreign affairs column<\/a>\u00a0in 1995. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Friedman is the author of seven\u00a0<em>New York Times<\/em>\u00a0bestsellers, including \u201cFrom Beirut to Jerusalem: One Man&#8217;s Middle Eastern Odyssey,\u201d \u201cThat Used To Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back\u201d (with Michael Mandelbaum), and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomaslfriedman.com\/hot-flat-and-crowded-2-0\/\">Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution\u2014And How It Can Renew America<\/a>,\u201d in which he proposed that the solutions to global warming and the best method to regain the United States\u2019 economic and political stature in the world are to embrace the sustainable energy and green technology industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Friedman has won three Pulitzer Prizes: for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pulitzer.org\/winners\/thomas-friedman\">international reporting (from Lebanon)<\/a>\u00a0in 1983, for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pulitzer.org\/winners\/thomas-l-friedman-and-loren-jenkins\">international reporting (from Israel)<\/a>\u00a0in 1988, and for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pulitzer.org\/winners\/thomas-friedman\">distinguished commentary<\/a>\u00a0in 2002. In 2004, he was also awarded the Overseas Press Club Award for lifetime achievement and the honorary title Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. In 2009, he was given the National Press Club\u2019s lifetime achievement award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/images-12.avif\" alt=\"Mindy Lubber, CEO of Ceres\" class=\"wp-image-27865\" style=\"width:280px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/images-12.avif 225w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/images-12-150x150.avif 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mindy Lubber<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mindy Lubber<\/strong>&nbsp;has been CEO and President of the Boston-based sustainability nonprofit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ceres.org\/\">Ceres<\/a>&nbsp;since 2003. The advocacy organization shows investors and multinational corporations how to factor sustainability&nbsp;risks, such as climate change, water pollution, and deforestation, into their operations and investments. Under her leadership, Ceres has proven that it is possible to be both profitable and environmentally and socially responsible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Previously, Lubber was a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and was appointed regional administrator under President Bill Clinton in 2000. She has received numerous honors for her leadership, including the United Nations\u2019 highest honor, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unep.org\/championsofearth\/laureates\/2020\/mindy-lubber\">Champions of the Earth Entrepreneurial Vision<\/a>&nbsp;award, in 2020. She also has made&nbsp;<em>Barron\u2019s<\/em>&nbsp;list of the 100 most influential women in U.S. finance for four consecutive years, and&nbsp;<em>The Boston Globe<\/em>&nbsp;named Ceres one of the top 100 women-led businesses in Massachusetts for five years in a row.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"549\" height=\"549\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Lou-Leonard-headshot-square.avif\" alt=\"Lou Leonard\" class=\"wp-image-27869\" style=\"width:280px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Lou-Leonard-headshot-square.avif 549w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Lou-Leonard-headshot-square-300x300.avif 300w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Lou-Leonard-headshot-square-150x150.avif 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 549px) 100vw, 549px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lou Leonard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Lou Leonard<\/strong>&nbsp;joined the School of Climate, Environment, and Society as the inaugural D.J.A. Dean in 2025, bringing with him more than 25 years of leadership in climate policy, environmental law, and ecological change. He came to Clark from Chatham University, where he served as dean of the Falk School of Sustainability &amp; Environment. Previously, as senior vice president for climate and energy at the World Wildlife Fund, he participated in negotiations leading to the Paris Climate Change Agreement. An environmental lawyer, Leonard has served as special counsel to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, negotiating water agreements for tribal nations, and has taught and practiced energy and conservation law in the U.S. and abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman will moderate a panel with Mindy Lubber, CEO of Ceres, and Lou Leonard, D.J.A. Dean of the School of Climate, Environment, and Society.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":27870,"template":"","meta":{"story_color":"var(--clarku-color-dark-green)","story_headerImg":27870,"section_label":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[223,241],"displayed_author":[498],"featured":[],"topic":[131,603,132,134],"class_list":["post-27863","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clark-community","category-environment-sustainability","displayed_author-clark-news-staff","topic-climate-change","topic-climate-crisis","topic-environment-and-sustainability","topic-school-of-climate-environment-and-society"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The climate crisis will be the focus of April 13 Clark forum | ClarkU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/09\/the-climate-crisis-will-be-the-focus-of-april-13-clark-forum\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The climate crisis will be the focus of April 13 Clark forum\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman will moderate a panel with Mindy Lubber, CEO of Ceres, and Lou Leonard, D.J.A. 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