Skip To Main Content
Students walking on campus
No post to display.

Earth Day Speaker David Wallace-Wells Discusses the Progress and Challenges in Addressing Climate Change

Post RSS Feeds Subscribe to Post Alerts
Earth Day Speaker David Wallace-Wells Discusses the Progress and Challenges in Addressing Climate Change
  • Speaker Program
Earth Day Speaker David Wallace-Wells Discusses the Progress and Challenges in Addressing Climate Change

Author and New York Times columnist David Wallace-Wells spoke in Chapel on Earth Day, reflecting on the progress the world has made in addressing climate change and the challenges that still exist. Mr. Wallace-Wells was previously the deputy editor of New York magazine, where he wrote a column on climate change and where his viral cover story “The Uninhabitable Earth” was met with widespread acclaim, paving the way for his book of the same title. 

“I do think the progress [we’ve made] is worth [mentioning],” Mr. Wallace-Wells told the boys. “Not just because it's true, and not just because it's a kind of an antidote to feelings of despair, it may actually fill you with some hope for the future and our climate future.” He stressed that the progress made reminds us simply how much can change and that what seemed impossible 10 years ago to a climate activist, is now fairly normal. “What seems impossible now, may be normal 10 years from now. And that's a lesson well beyond climate, that the systems we see as permanent and unchanging end up changing only when we choose to change them and only when we try to take control and force the hand of those in charge. But they can be changed.” 

Mr. Wallace-Wells impressed upon the boys that we've made the progress we've made because millions of people, many of them teenagers, decided to make it happen, to listen to their conscience and refuse to be silenced in taking the action that they knew was right. “So what action should you take…at the school and your lives going forward?” he asked the boys. “Of course, that's up to you…Everyone has a role, though, whether it's through politics, or social justice, or entrepreneurship, or engineering. The future will be transformed by all of these forces.”  

Three men in business attire standing together in a formal setting.
A man in a suit is standing at a podium in front of an American flag, gesturing as he speaks.

Recent News Stories

Winter Play Shows off Collaborative Spirit
Winter Play Shows off Collaborative Spirit

On February 6 and 7, actors from Belmont Hill and Winsor showed their range in the Kraft Theater with two lively performances of Eight Plays But Who’s Counting?, a series of poignant and hilarious one-acts. Open to actors of all grade levels and touching on a variety of genres, the show brought together students with a range of experience, from advanced actors in their thirteenth production to those in their debut performance.  

Read More about Winter Play Shows off Collaborative Spirit
Parents Council: Faculty Panel Discusses A.I. at Belmont Hill
Parents Council: Faculty Panel Discusses A.I. at Belmont Hill

On February 4, parents of boys across all grade levels had the opportunity to hear the strategic thinking behind Belmont Hill’s approach to A.I. from a panel of faculty members representing different departments and aspects of school life. The speakers reviewed the formal policies regarding A.I. use for faculty and students, and explained the data and mission driven thinking that guided their development.  

Read More about Parents Council: Faculty Panel Discusses A.I. at Belmont Hill