State of the Planet

I've heard of "State of the City" and "State of the State" speeches, and of course there is our annual "State of the Union." But this is as big as it gets for us humans: "The State of the Planet." Hosted by the Earth Institute at Columbia University, this year's gathering will be next month and I'm currently on the wait list to go. (Registration is free, but there's no space.) Jeffrey Sachs and Kofi Annan are among the speakers lined up to talk about poverty, sustainability, and war. The Economist is hosting a special evening debate session with the delicious teaser proposition: "The United States will solve the climate change problem." Here's hoping that if I can't get in or otherwise free up my schedule to get out there, that they'll do the environmentally friendly think and stream the thing online.