Lorentz Lecture - The Big Myth: Corporate America’s fight against climate change regulations

Professor Oreskes will discuss the role of corporate America in promoting the myth of the “free market” in order to prevent government regulation of dangerous practices and products, including fossil fuels.

She argues that, to address the climate crisis at the necessary scale and rate, we must reject that myth and re-embrace the essential role of governments in addressing market failure.

About the speaker

Naomi Oreskes is the Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University. An internationally renowned scientist and historian, she is a leading voice on the reality on anthropogenic climate change and the history of efforts to undermine climate action and scientific truth.

Oreskes is an author of nine books, including, Why Trust Science? (2019) and Science on a Mission: How Military Funding Shaped What We Do and Don’t Know about the Ocean (2021), and over 150 scholarly and popular articles. Her opinion pieces have appeared around the globe, including in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Times (London), and the Frankfurter Allgemeine. Her new book with Erik Conway, The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loath Government and Love the Free Market, was published by Bloomsbury Press in February 2023.   

Practical information

When: Thursday the 8th of february 2024 from 18.00 until 19.00 hrs. If you want to visit the museum we advise you to do so beforehand, the exhibit halls will close at 18.00 hrs.

Where: In the foyer of the museum

Language: English

Costs: Attending the lecture is free with a museum ticket. You can purchase a museum ticket at the desk, when you have a student card/Museumcard etc. it’s completely free of charge.

Register: You can register using the form below. We have received your registration only when you have received the automated confirmation email. Please check your spam-box also.