Submitted by Fred Hewett

On April 10, 2016, BEC honored Professor Juliet Schor of Boston College as the 2016 Humanist of the Year.

Professor Schor’s talk, entitled “New Perspectives on Climate Economy” gave an overview of the economic challenges that confront a world beset by climate change.

She called for dramatic changes in our energy usage. “In the global north we need to move quickly to very large emissions reductions, well outside of the range of historic experience”, she said.

Schor emphasized the need to question the dogma of growth, saying the metrics we use to gauge economic success must include using our productivity to reduce work hours, not just consume more.

“We have to make some structural changes that will reduce the underlying demand of the economy for energy”, Schor stated.

It was a memorable meeting. BEC is proud to have selected Professor Schor as this year’s Humanist of the Year.