Spanning the Globe

By Jack Palmer

My time abroad began with the Festival University, a 4-week program through Ars Electronica, the Johannes Kepler University (JKU) Linz, and the Federal Ministry of the Republic of Austria for Education, Science, and Research. I was chosen among 200 other college-level students gathered in Linz, Austria with one primary focus: climate change. The Festival University is part of the larger, globally-recognized Ars Electronica Festival, which occurs annually in Linz highlighting global phenomena each year with its theme. For 2022, the theme was “Welcome to Planet B.” Planet B is not actually a new planet we can escape to and “run away” from all of the climate-based degradation that has already occurred. Rather, it is the only path forward; society as a whole must develop a “Planet B” in which every aspect of life is adjusted to allow us to keep living on Earth. For my presentation in the Festival, I acted as a lawyer in the fictitious International Environmental and Climate Court (IECC). My team of environmentalists from around the world were tasked with challenging the European Union’s (EU) recent change in Green Taxonomy including energy from nuclear and natural gas sources. We successfully argued against their inclusion and advocated for greener inclusions to leaders from Austria and the EU. During this time, I built monumental friendships spanning six continents and garnered a new sense of a truly global perspective.

During my free time in the semester, I was fortunate to travel to 11 countries with my travel partner, best friend, and classmate in the Batten Honors College, Kiera Doyle.

Link to watch International Environmental and Climate Court (IECC) trial recording: ars.electronica.art/planetb/ en/festivaluniversity/