The inaugural lecture within the Trevor Pinch Memorial Lecture Series for Innovative STS (Science and Technology Studies) shall be held on Wednesday, April 22, to coincide with Earth Day. Sociologist Steven Yearley will give a talk titled “Sink Politics: Natural Knowledge and Climate Policy” at 3:30 p.m. in Atkinson Hall, room 121. The occasion is free and the general public is welcome.
“Trevor Pinch was one of the most exciting and brilliant STS scholars in the world, so it’s entirely fitting that the lecture series in his honor aims to showcase not just ‘good’ STS, but genuinely innovative scholarship. We’re delighted that our first speaker will be Steven Yearley from the University of Edinburgh,” mentioned Suman Seth, Marie Underhill Noll Professor of the History of Science and chair of the Department of Science and Technology Studies within the College of Arts and Sciences. “Steve’s talk, scheduled for Earth Day, 2026, looks at climate politics and technoscientific knowledge and I anticipate that it will be lively, possibly contentious, and definitely fascinating.”
In his talk Yearley will spotlight the altering methods scientists, campaigners, the climate-policy communities and nationwide policymakers have considered and, more and more, acted on carbon or greenhouse-gas “sinks” within the final three a long time. “Sinks” are the pure absorption of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases by pure processes; for instance, dissolved within the oceans or taken up by bushes, soils and animals with shells.