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Past Commencement Speeches 2007

• Margaret A. Tolbert, December 21, 2007

Commencement Address
Margaret A. Tolbert
December 21, 2007

Thank you Chancellor Peterson!

Distinguished members of the platform party, fellow professors, and especially honored graduates and their families and friends: It is a great pleasure and honor for me to be here with you today to celebrate the achievements of the class of 2007!

During your time at CU, the world has changed dramatically in some ways, and seemingly not at all in others. When you arrived in Boulder, you looked around and saw one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Boulder has a special place in my heart as I grew up here, going to the local schools and hiking the local trails. I've traveled a lot, attended various schools, and more schools, and more schools, a couple jobs but everywhere I went, I knew that Boulder was always my home. CU graduates, I know that Boulder will always be your home too, no matter where your travels may take you.

As you look around today, one thing you find that hasn't changed is the natural beauty of the Boulder area. That beauty has been preserved by the thoughtful, proactive and pioneering work of our citizens. Between 1950 and 1972, Boulder's population more than tripled, and Boulder citizens were faced with an uncertainty in how to prevent urban sprawl and preserve the natural beauty of the area. In 1967, Boulder voters made history by approving a 4/10 of a cent sales tax specifically to buy, manage and maintain open space, the first time citizens in any U.S. city had voted to tax themselves specifically for open space. We are all enjoying the foresight and sacrifice of our early citizens. They realized that something had to be done to preserve this area, and they found a path to that preservation.

Today we find ourselves at another preservation crossroads, this one on a global scale. As noted by the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, "warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level." And furthermore, most of the observed changes are very likely due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Obviously, it is our turn now to take actions to preserve the planet.

This is not the first time that we humans have created a global environmental crisis by our activities. In the early-1980's, a hole in the ozone layer began forming over the Antarctic continent in the spring. Ozone protects us from harmful ultra-violet light from the sun, so loss of ozone is potentially very threatening to humans, as well as plants and animals. I had just finished up my PhD when the ozone hole was first reported, and was fortunate to be able to work on the problem. Through our experiments, and those of others, it was found that chlorine could be transformed from harmless forms, into ozone-eating forms, by reactions occurring high in the skies on the surfaces of polar clouds. This work helped establish that chlorine, emitted by human as chlorofluorocarbons, was the cause of the ozone hole. These chlorofluorocarbons had been used for years as refrigerants, foam-blowing agents and for electronics cleaners, but once their harmful effects were established, the countries of the world came together and banned these compounds. We can learn a valuable lesson from the story of the Antarctic ozone hole. A global problem was discovered, a scientific understanding of the problem was found, then global actions were taken to mitigate the problem.

While the ozone hole is still with us, and will be through most of this century, because of the concerted actions of scientists, industries and governments the ozone will eventually recover. We are not quite so far along on the climate problem. We do now know that climate change is happening, here and now. We also have the scientific understanding to explain why there is climate change. The emission of greenhouse gases such as CO2 have increased markedly since pre-industrial times due to fossil fuel use. And projections indicate that continued release of greenhouse gases at current rates will lead to unprecedented temperature and sea level rise. However, despite the scientific understanding, and the knowledge that this is a very serious problem, we continue to burn fossil fuels at an alarming rate. In China alone, two new coal-fired power plants are built each week! And it is estimated that the average American still pollutes between five and six times more than the average Chinese person. These emissions are large, but significant energy production is essential to modern societies. Thus, it is clearly a global challenge for all of us to produce the energy we need without pollution and to use the energy wisely.

So, in terms of the climate change problem, we know where we are and we know how we got here. The question is, where do we go from here? It would be great if we could just log onto Google maps and have it give us directions on how to proceed. But this is quite a bit more complicated than a set of streets. There are many directions we can take, and we probably need to take several of them all at once!

While we need to think globally, we can also make important strides by acting locally. CU Boulder has been at the forefront of environmental sustainability since the establishment of the CU Environmental Center in 1970! And earlier this year, Chancellor Peterson signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, with the goal of achieving zero net greenhouse gas emissions by the CU campus by the middle of the 21st century. I am proud to be part of the great environmental tradition at CU.

When you entered CU, four (maybe five) years ago, there was little talk about climate change. But today there is widespread recognition of the problem, and even a Nobel Prize awarded for the dissemination of knowledge about climate change. As you leave CU, you will be faced with many challenges and opportunities. What kinds of energy will we be using in future decades? Who will control energy production? Will energy production remain concentrated in a few companies and fortunate countries, or will it be dispersed across the world and perhaps even to small groups or individuals? How will we avoid a global warming catastrophe? And most importantly on a personal level, how can you best use your skills and expertise in this changing world? For each one of you with varied interests and talents, your personal contribution will be different, but you will be called upon to make a personal contribution. From your CU education, I know you have learned amazing things and broadened your global perspective. It is now up to you to take advantage of your education to contribute to our changing society. Your dedication to whatever path you choose will help build a better world for all of us and help preserve, not just Boulder, but the whole planet, for future generations.

I wish you all the best. Congratulations to the Class of 2007!

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