Lecture series addresses politics of oil, water

PORTLAND, OR – If peak oil and global water politics are your thing, this year’s Illahee lecture series is bringing four authors and activists to Portland in coming months.

The series, started in 1999, focuses on emerging environmental issues. This year’s theme is “Oil + Water: Running on Empty?”

Tickets sold out for last week’s talk by James Howard Kunstler and probably will sell out soon for Michael Pollan, author of “The Botany of Desire,” says Jed Jorgensen, Illahee program director.

The lineup includes:

Feb. 24: Kenneth Deffeyes, geosciences professor emeritus at Princeton University, on “Hubbert’s Peak: The End of Oil”

March 22: Maude Barlow, chairwoman of the Council of Canadians, on “Water in the 21st Century”

April 21: Michael Klare, defense correspondent for The Nation, on “Oil, Water and Global Security”

May 11: Pollan, on “Oil and Agriculture: The High Cost of Cheap Food” Tickets: Cost $20 for each event; $70 for remaining four talks. Call 503-222-2719 or visit www.illahee.org.

The Oregonian