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CONNECTING SCIENCE TO DECISIONMAKING ON CLIMATE CHANGE
David Blockstein, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, NCSE
Executive Secretary
Council of Environmental Deans and Directors
Council of Energy Research and Education Leaders
www.NCSEonline.org
Focus: programs that bring together diverse
institutions, communities and individuals to collaborate
Education and Careers
Goal: increase the number and quality of trained individuals to address complex environmental challenges.
Partners – Universities and colleges– High schools– Employers– Government agencies (EPA STAR)
University Affiliates Benefits
www.ncseonline.org/Affiliates
• National Conference: 5 Complimentary registrations
• Council of Environmental Deans and Directors (CEDD)
• Campus-wide Electronic Subscriptions: Greenwire, Environment and Energy Daily, Land Letter
• Internship Opportunities
• Handbook of Federal Funding for Environmental R & D
• University Federal Dialogue on Energy and Environmental Research and Education
• Advocacy for Federal Funding on Energy and Environmental Research and Education
• Collaboration with more than 170 colleges and universities across the U.S.
Council of Environmental Deansand Directors (CEDD)
• Top Environmental Leaders at Affiliate Universities
• Curriculum, including Climate Solutions Curriculum
• Careers, including Environmental Alumni Career Study and Campus to Careers Program
• Program Administration
• Interdisciplinary Hiring, Tenure and Promotion
Council of Energy Research and Education Leaders (CEREL)
• Mission: to advance university energy research
and education through collaboration
• Top Academic Energy Leaders
• Research Funding Advocacy
• Curriculum and Careers
• Program Administration
• Communications and Outreach
CEDD Climate Solutions Curriculum
Goal: Establish appropriate education materials and support systems regarding
climate change causes, consequences and solutions
1. Creation and dissemination of an interdisciplinary undergraduate General
Education Course on Climate Change - NASA grant ~$180,000
2. Climate Adaptation and Mitigation E-Learning Community– NSF grant $1.66
million for 3 years
3. Creation of a Masters Degree in Climate Science and Solutions – in progress
CAMEL
• Climate, Adaptation, and Mitigation e-Learning Community
• Nationwide (and beyond) community– Educators, researchers, students
• Undergraduate materials—all levels and fields
• Climate change causes, consequences and solutions
4. National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment
Conference Themes:
1st - Improving the Scientific Basis for Decisionmaking
2nd - Sustainable Communities: Science and Solutions
3rd - Education for a Sustainable and Secure Future
4th - Water for a Sustainable and Secure Future
5th - Forecasting Environmental Changes
6th - Energy for a Sustainable and Secure Future
7th - Integrating Environment and Human Health
8th - Climate Change: Science and Solutions
9th - Biodiversity in a Rapidly Changing World
10th – The New Green Economy
• 3 days, 1200+ participants
• 35 breakout sessions,
• 10 symposia,
• 24 workshops
• Presidential Candidate Forum
• A Blueprint for a Low Carbon Society
National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment - Climate Change: Science and Solutions
• Meeting the Climate Change Challenge by John Holdren, Science Advisor to President Obama
The Climate Solutions Consensus: What We Know and What We Need to Do will be published by Island Press, in November 2009.
Main messages • “Global warming” is a misnomer; we should be calling it
“global climatic disruption”.
• The disruption & its impacts are now growing more rapidly than was expected just a few years ago.
• The world is already experiencing “dangerous anthro-pogenic interference in the climate system”. The question now is whether we can avoid catastrophic interference.
• Our options are mitigation, adaptation, & suffering. If we do less mitigation & adaptation, we’ll do more suffering.
• In mitigation and adaptation, there is a lot of “low-hanging fruit”.
• The United States must switch from laggard to leader – and sooner rather than later – if the world is to act in time.
• Everyone has a part to play. We all make a difference!
David Blockstein, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
1101 17th Street NW, Suite 250
Washington, DC 20036
www.NCSEonline.org
202-207-0004