Baucus Institute to Host John Kerry for Climate Panel

MISSOULA – John Kerry, the first U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, will be in conversation with Max Baucus, former Montana senator and U.S. ambassador to China, on Thursday, April 21, at the University of Montana.

The timely lecture is hosted by UM’s Max S. Baucus Institute and is part of the Stockman Bank Speaker Series in partnership with the Montana World Affairs Council.

The conversation will begin at 6:30 p.m. and broadcast live on Zoom. Baucus Institute Director Sam Panarella will moderate. The event is free and open to the public, and preregistration online is encouraged.

“Following our illuminating and inspiring event with Vice President Al Gore last fall, we are excited to host another conversation about the challenges and opportunities in the critically important effort to combat climate change,” Panarella said.

Kerry served as the U.S. secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 and was a key player in the international negotiation of the Paris Agreement on climate change. His current position is a Cabinet-level member of President Joe Biden’s National Security Council, signaling the administration’s concern that climate change is a major threat to America’s security.

The conversation between the former U.S. senators will be grounded in their lengthy service in Congress together and their dedication to public service. Kerry represented Massachusetts from 1985 to 2013, while Baucus represented Montana from 1978 to 2014. After serving as the U.S. ambassador to China, Baucus returned to Montana in 2017 and founded the Baucus Institute at UM to engage young Montanans in public service.

“The Baucus Institute is committed to bringing leading voices on the climate to Montana for open, frank and fact-based discussions on topics of paramount importance to our state,” Panarella said. “We look forward to having Montanans from every corner of our state join in this event.”

For more information about this event, please visit the Baucus Institute’s Stockman Bank Speakers Series website and register at tinyurl.com/3zwwwuzd. Learn more about the Max S. Baucus Institute at www.baucusinstitute.org.

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Contact: Mel Brittner Wells, program manager, Baucus Institute, 406-243-5383, mel.brittnerwells@umontana.edu.