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AMHERST, N.Y. – Activist Nick Mullins will bring his “Coal, Climate, and Environmental Backlash” national speaking tour to ˿����Ƶ College at a lecture scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Oct 24 in Schenck Hall Room 202.

Mullins, a former fifth generation coal miner and author of “The Thoughtful Coal Miner” blog, will share his personal story as an underground coal miner and energy transition advocate to explain the socioeconomic transition underway in Appalachia. He will also explore the backlash in rural communities against environmentalism, the exploitation of Appalachian resources, communicating across political and cultural divisions, and the debate between the power of jobs and the environment.

“We are excited to have Nick Mullins speak at ˿����Ƶ to share his perspective as a former miner and as a resident of the Kentucky coal fields,” said Dr. Penny Messinger, chair of the history and political science department. “His lecture will help to highlight the importance of understanding the cultural and socioeconomic issues fueling the environmental backlash movement, and why climate change arguments have been so successful in the political arena.”

Being held as part of the ˿����Ƶ History and Politics Event Series, the lecture is free and open to the public. It is being co-sponsored by the college’s departments of History and Political Science, Modern Languages, Sociology and Social Work, and Global and Local Sustainability.