Recent Event Highlights: California's Climate Change Challenge, 2/2 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: CLIMATE CHANGE IN PHILIPPINES - LACK OF GOVERNMENT PLANNING AND AWARENESS, (1/2) ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: CLIMATE CHANGE IN PHILIPPINES - LACK OF GOVT PLANNING AND AWARENESS, Noam Chomsky on Climate Change - The New World Order Part 10 (1998), PCI Fellow Tom Whipple: What One Policy Change Would You Make?, Economics of Climate Change: An International Conference - Day 2, and 32 more...
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Last updated: 11/02/10 at 03:06 AM
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California is a global leader in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but the real work lies ahead, says Louise Bedsworth, research fellow in environmental policy at the Public Policy Institute of California. And even if the state meets its ambitious goals to curb emissions, we need to prepare for changes in the climate that are inevitable.
Video courtesy of Probetv Productions Inc. www.searice.org.ph SBSTTA side event calls for farmer innovations in climate change, biodioversity strategies At a side event to the Nairobi meeting of the scientific subcommittee of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (SBSTTA 14), two "competing" approaches to agriculture at a time of climate change and decreasing biological diversity were discussed. The conventional approach, as exemplified by the genetic modification of crops, biofuel production and biochar, is touted as a solution to climate change, yet poses a serious threat to biodiversity and agriculture. On the other hand, farmers are building resilient communities, innovating, and heading off climate change in ways that enhance, rather than reduce agricultural biodiversity. The side event, billed "GRAINS OF WISDOM AND FALSE SOLUTIONS: FARMER INNOVATIONS, AGRICULTURAL BIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE," was jointly organized by SEARICE, USC Canada, Development Fund, the Gaia Foundation, the African Biodiversity Network and Econexus on May 17. Helena Paul of Econexus facilitated the event. SEARICE noted a clear trend among governments of promoting the cultivation of agrofuels as a strategy to mitigate climate change, while overlooking community based climate change adaptation strategies. SEARICE policy officer Edna Maguigad cited a number of of farmers' adapation strategies, including the development of new seeds through selection, and changing their cropping systems ...
Video courtesy of Probetv Productions Inc. www.searice.org.ph SBSTTA side event calls for farmer innovations in climate change, biodioversity strategies At a side event to the Nairobi meeting of the scientific subcommittee of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (SBSTTA 14), two "competing" approaches to agriculture at a time of climate change and decreasing biological diversity were discussed. The conventional approach, as exemplified by the genetic modification of crops, biofuel production and biochar, is touted as a solution to climate change, yet poses a serious threat to biodiversity and agriculture. On the other hand, farmers are building resilient communities, innovating, and heading off climate change in ways that enhance, rather than reduce agricultural biodiversity. The side event, billed "GRAINS OF WISDOM AND FALSE SOLUTIONS: FARMER INNOVATIONS, AGRICULTURAL BIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE," was jointly organized by SEARICE, USC Canada, Development Fund, the Gaia Foundation, the African Biodiversity Network and Econexus on May 17. Helena Paul of Econexus facilitated the event. SEARICE noted a clear trend among governments of promoting the cultivation of agrofuels as a strategy to mitigate climate change, while overlooking community based climate change adaptation strategies. SEARICE policy officer Edna Maguigad cited a number of of farmers' adapation strategies, including the development of new seeds through selection, and changing their cropping systems ...
November 30, 1998 www.amazon.com Climate change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather over periods of time that range from decades to millions of years. It can be a change in the average weather or a change in the distribution of weather events around an average (for example, greater or fewer extreme weather events). Climate change may be limited to a specific region, or may occur across the whole Earth. In recent usage, especially in the context of environmental policy, climate change usually refers to changes in modern climate. It may be qualified as anthropogenic climate change, more generally known as "global warming" or "anthropogenic global warming" (AGW). For information on temperature measurements over various periods, and the data sources available, see temperature record. For attribution of climate change over the past century, see attribution of recent climate change. The ozone layer is a layer in Earth's atmosphere which contains relatively high concentrations of ozone (O3). This layer absorbs 9399% of the sun's high frequency ultraviolet light, which is potentially damaging to life on earth. Over 91% of the ozone in Earth's atmosphere is present here. It is mainly located in the lower portion of the stratosphere from approximately 13 km to 20 km above Earth, though the thickness varies seasonally and geographically. The ozone layer was discovered in 1913 by the French physicists Charles Fabry and Henri Buisson. Its properties were explored in ...
PCI Peak Oil Fellow Tom Whipple answers the question - what one policy change would you make if you could snap your fingers and make it happen? In calling for an immediate tax on oil, Whipple believes that the resulting behavior change would have far-reaching positive economic and environmental benefits. Tom Whipple is one of the most highly respected analysts of peak oil issues in the United States. Tom is a retired 30-year CIA analyst who has been following the peak oil story since 1999.
Panel Discussion: Global Solution or Country Specific Solutions? Chair: Ed Nell, Professor of Economics, New School for Social Research. Hirofumi Uzawa, Social Common Capital Research Tokyo. Ernst U. von Weizsaecker, International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management. Nathaniel Keohane, Walker Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund. Charles Komanoff, Carbon Tax Center. For two days, academics from around the world, government officials, and policy analysts examined the economic issues associated with carbon emissions, climate change, and emission regulation. The conference offered important lessons on how to enact effective climate change policy despite the United States fragile economy and the post-Copenhagen tensions between developed and developing countries. Location: Wollman Hall, Eugene Lang Building, 65 West 11th Street. 04/10/2010 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Environmental sustainability requires long-term political commitments to the protection of environmental resources. Yet most of the worlds countries, particularly in the developing world and post-communist states, are subject to chronic political and economic upheaval, making any effort at institution-building a daunting task. Professor Steinberg considers this practical challenge from the analytic vantage point of theories of policy change and mechanisms of institutional reproduction. The results carry important implications for environmental policy and for comparative politics research on institutional stability and change. Paul Steinberg is an associate professor of Political Science and Environmental Policy at Harvey Mudd College and a visiting scholar at UC Berkeleys Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management. His books include Environmental Leadership in Developing Countries (MIT Press, 2001) and Comparative Environmental Politics (MIT Press, forthcoming 2010). See www.hmc.edu clas.berkeley.edu
(January 14, 2010) Kristie Ebi, Executive Director for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), discusses the complexity of environmental and governmental difficulties in creating a multinational climate adaptation agreement. This course was originally presented in Stanford's Continuing Studies program. Stanford University: www.stanford.edu Stanford Continuing Studies: csp.stanford.edu Stanford Channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com (less info)
On March 12, 2010, the NYU Environmental Law Journal, NYU Environmental Law Society and Institute for Policy Integrity hosted a day-long symposium on regulatory review and environmental regulation under the Obama Administration. The Administration is in the midst of the most significant regulatory reforms in nearly two decades, with pending revisions to the Executive Order that governs the regulatory review process and the relationship between agencies and the White House. At the same time, it is also pursuing significant new regulations on a variety of environmental issues, including the nations first binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions. The symposium will feature the perspectives of leading academics, regulators, and environmental practitioners on these recent and future changes, with a keynote address by Lisa Heinzerling, EPAs Associate Administrator for the Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation (OPEI) and the author of several prominent books and articles on environmental and administrative law. The video includes: Introductory Remarks Richard L. Revesz, Dean, Lawrence King Professor of Law, New York University School of Law Keynote Address: Lisa Heinzerling, Associate Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation Panel One: Legal and Philosophical Underpinnings of Cost-Benefit Analysis as a Tool for Regulatory Review Moderated by Michael Livermore, Executive Director, Institute for Policy Integrity Sidney ...
Jan 6, 2010 - au.todaytonight.yahoo.com
Hear Terry Tamminem, director of the Climate Policy Program at the New America Foundation, discuss why smaller entities are most effective at driving real environmental change.
Coral reefs are the most biologically diverse habitats of the oceans and face extinction due to climate change by 2050 ... We're hoping that the politicians and heads of state who attend the UNEP 2009 climate change conference in Copenhagen will make positive amendments to global environmental policy and help save coral reefs and ultimately protect the amazing planet we live on. Extended video can be watched here: www.vimeo.com www.sealthedeal2009.org
Columbia Business School faculty members and alumni discuss trends and investment opportunities related to climate change and renewable energy. Moderated by Senior Vice Dean Chris Mayer, the and Paul Milstein Professor of Real Estate, the panel featured Geoffrey Heal, the Paul Garrett Professor of Public Policy and Business Responsibility; Elke Weber, the Jerome A. Chazen Professor of International Business; and Bruce Usher, an adjunct professor in the Finance and Economics division and Social Enterprise Program; and Kevin Parker, head of asset management at Deutsche Bank. The forum took place on November 19, 2009, on the Columbia campus.
February 13, 2008 Speakers: Ted Nordhaus, Chairman, The Breakthrough Institute Michael Shellenberger, President, The Breakthrough Institute Commentary: Jonathan H. Adler, Professor & Director, Center for Business Law & Regulation, Case Western Reserve University Ted Steinberg, Professor of History and Law, Case Western Reserve University Presented by: the Center for Business Law and Regulation Summary: Environmental Law Lecture Full Lecture Title: An Environmental Break Through? The Challenge of Climate Change, the Death of Environmentalism, and the Politics of Possibility Global climate change may present the greatest environmental challenge of all time. Despite claims of urgency, there has been little action. Does this represent a failure of environmental politics? Is the current regulatory approach to environmental protection capable of addressing the challenge presented by global warming? Current environmental laws do little to address the threat of climate change. Some analysts argue that new laws are not enough, however. Rather, a new paradigm of environmental protection is necessary that stresses innovation and opportunity, in place of the politics of limits that motivate many of the environmental laws on the books. This is part of the provocative thesis Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger advance in their book, Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility. This event will feature remarks by Nordhaus and Shellenberger ...
An executive sacked from a giant property company can claim he was unfairly dismissed because of his "philosophical belief in climate change", a judge ruled yesterday. In the first case of its kind, employment judge David Sneath said Tim Nicholson, a former environmental policy officer, could invoke employment law for protection from discrimination against him for his conviction that climate change was the world's most important environmental problem. That conviction amounted to a philosophical belief under the Employment Equality (Religion and Belief) Regulations, 2003, the judge ruled on a point of law at a pre-hearing review of an employment tribunal in London.... Grainger had good written policies both on the environment and corporate social responsibility, Mr Nicholson told the hearing but there was a "mismatch" between the policies and the way in which the firm was managed. When he tried to get it to act in a more environmentally responsible way, he said, senior company executives obstructed him..... www.independent.co.uk Now judge puts GREEN beliefs of a worker on a par with Christianity - www.dailymail.co.uk BELIEFS about climate change ruled as valid as religious convictions - In a landmark court ruling, a judge ruled that Tim Nicholson's views on climate change should be given the same consideration by employers as "religious or philosophical beliefs". Mr Nicholson's successful defence of his right to challenge Grainger Plc over his treatment could "open the ...
On 23 October, British Ambassador Paul Arkwright handed over the 4 Degree Map to Frans Timmermans, Dutch Minister for Europe and Environmental Policy.
Manuel Pastor is Professor of Geography and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California where he also serves as Director of the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE). His research focuses on environmental justice and the economic, environmental and social conditions facing low-income urban communities in the US Series: Making Climate Change Policy Work [10/2009] [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 17240]
US Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, answers some questions from Grist.org on climate change legislation.
Available on DVD in the UK & Eire from 28th September 2009. Six Degrees is an extraordinary journey into our planets future, to explore the potential impacts of global warming degree-by-degree through six degrees Celsius over the next 100 years. As the mercury rises, what could the next century of climate change really look and feel like? Super-realistic computer graphics, stunning high definition imagery and the worlds most remote and spectacular locations provide an unprecedented preview into a potentially catastrophic future. Filmed on five continents, Six Degrees tracks the worlds top climate researchers and follows ranchers, photographers and everyday people to uncover the signs of climate trends affecting the planet today. Each potential degree of temperature rise might jeopardise life as we know it on Earth. From Greenlands ice sheet to tropical coral reefs, from Himalayan glaciers to the Amazon rainforest come chilling first hand accounts of climate change already underway and evidence of more to come as global warming impacts the lives of ordinary people. Six Degrees follows scientists on the frontlines - racing to understand the implications of climate change through sophisticated computer models, satellite measurements, ice core analyses and other methods. Over 50 stunning high definition computer graphics depict amazing science and dramatic climate forecasts if the planets average temperature continues to rise over the next century. The planetary impact of ...
Guests: Kassie Siegel, Staff Attorney, Center for Biological Diversity and Steven Beissinger, Professor of Conservation Biology, Chair of Ecosystem Sciences Division and Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, UC Berkeley
Dr. Green, an environmental scientist by training, studied environmental policy for more than ten years at think tanks in California and Canada prior to joining AEI. In 2001, he served as an expert reviewer for the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He has authored numerous policy studies, magazine articles, newspaper columns, encyclopedia and book chapters, and even a textbook for middle-school students entitled Global Warming: Understanding the Debate. He has served as Executive Director of the Environmental Literacy Council, as Chief Scientist and Director of the Center for Studies in Risk, Regulation and Environment at the Fraser Institute and as Chief Scientist and Director of the Environmental Program at the Reason Foundation. Dr. Green has also had experience working with government (California Departmental Transportation Advisory Committee) and the private sector (Hughes Aircraft Corporation) on environmental policy. He has a D.Env., Environmental Science and Engineering from UCLA, an MS from San Diego State University in Molecular Genetics and a BS in Biology from UCLA.
Dr. Schneiders presentation, Climate Change Policy: Expecting the Unimaginable Surprises and Actions to Consider Part 1 of 5, was presented in San Francisco on January 30, 2009 at the Climate Change, Natural Resources and Coastal Management Workshop co-sponsored by the US Geological Survey and the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Stephen H. Schneider is the Melvin and Joan Lane Professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies, Professor of Biological Sciences, and a Senior Fellow in the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University. He served as an NCAR scientist from 1973-1996, where he co-founded the Climate Project. He focuses on climate change science, integrated assessment of ecological and economic impacts of human-induced climate change, and identifying viable climate policies and technological solutions. He has consulted for federal agencies and White House staff in six administrations. Involved with the IPCC since 1988, he was Coordinating Lead Author, WG II, Chapter 19, "Assessing Key Vulnerabilities and the Risk from Climate Change" and a core writer for the Fourth Assessment Synthesis Report. He along with four generations of IPCC authors received a collective Nobel Peace Prize for their joint efforts in 2007. Elected to the US National Academy of Sciences in 2002, Dr. Schneider received the American Association for the Advancement of Science/ Westinghouse Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology and a MacArthur Fellowship for ...
Dr. Schneiders presentation, Climate Change Policy: Expecting the Unimaginable Surprises and Actions to Consider Part 1 of 5, was presented in San Francisco on January 30, 2009 at the Climate Change, Natural Resources and Coastal Management Workshop co-sponsored by the US Geological Survey and the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Stephen H. Schneider is the Melvin and Joan Lane Professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies, Professor of Biological Sciences, and a Senior Fellow in the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University. He served as an NCAR scientist from 1973-1996, where he co-founded the Climate Project. He focuses on climate change science, integrated assessment of ecological and economic impacts of human-induced climate change, and identifying viable climate policies and technological solutions. He has consulted for federal agencies and White House staff in six administrations. Involved with the IPCC since 1988, he was Coordinating Lead Author, WG II, Chapter 19, "Assessing Key Vulnerabilities and the Risk from Climate Change" and a core writer for the Fourth Assessment Synthesis Report. He along with four generations of IPCC authors received a collective Nobel Peace Prize for their joint efforts in 2007. Elected to the US National Academy of Sciences in 2002, Dr. Schneider received the American Association for the Advancement of Science/ Westinghouse Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology and a MacArthur Fellowship for ...
UCS President Kevin Knobloch will provide a look at the current state of science in federal agencies and discuss the important role of science in public policy and how advocacy and activism can change the tide of this troubling trend. In 2004, the Union of Concerned Scientists launched a major initiative to harness the scientific communitys widespread concern about pervasive political interference in science by the Bush administration. The impact of these actions has been felt across a broad array of issues including climate change, mercury poisoning, reproductive health, and prescription drugs. The result has been policies that are at odds with the best available science and have resulted in serious consequences for public health, safety, and the environment while tarnishing the reputations of federal science agencies.
May 6, 2009 - Lisa Schipper, research fellow at the Stockholm Environmental Institute, discusses theories connecting climate change adaptation to international development, and how they relate to concrete changes being implemented in southeast Asia and elsewhere. The Energy Seminar meets during the academic year on Wednesdays, 4:15 to 5:15 pm For a listing of upcoming Energy Seminar talks, please visit the events listing at the Woods Institute for the Environment website. Stanford University www.stanford.edu Woods Institute for the Environment http Stockholm Environmental Institute www.sei.se Stanford University Channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com
Sustainable Actions for a Sustainable Future 2009 Public Affairs Conference Missouri State University Alex de Sherbinin is a senior research associate at the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), an environmental data and analysis center within the Earth Institute at Columbia University. de Sherbinin is a geographer whose research interests focus on the human aspects of environmental change at local, national and global scales. He has written peer-reviewed articles, chapters and reports, addressing population dynamics and the environment, remote sensing applications for environmental treaties, social science applications of remote sensing, environmental indicators, climate change vulnerability, consumption impacts on the environment, environment and security, urban sustainability, land-use and land-cover change, and community-based natural resource management. Prior to joining CIESIN, he served as a population-environment fellow with the Social Policy Program of IUCN-The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland, and a population geographer at the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), Washington, DC He also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mauritania, West Africa.
How will the combined forces of global change (climate, demographic shifts and economic trends) impact urban health in the 21st century? This symposium is intended to spark cross-pollination of new perspectives to enable UC Berkeley researchers and their research partners worldwide to develop and implement more effective global health interventions in the coming decades. Faculty from the School of Public Health, Urban Planning, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Agricultural and Resource Economics, and Environmental Science Policy and Management will participate in three interlinked panel discussions to develop cross-cutting strategies to prevent or mitigate contemporary urban health challenges. Participants will have an opportunity to share their own experiences and lessons learned during a moderated lunchtime discussion. Faculty panelists and moderators include Kirk Smith, Eva Harris, Jim Hunt, Lee Riley, Malcolm Potts, Jason Colburn, Inez Fung, Ndola Prata, Xochitl Castaneda, Michael Hanemann, Art Reingold, Wayne Getz, and Tomas Aragon. globalhealth.berkeley.edu
Afternoon Workshop: Carbon revenues This was one of the afternoon workshops offered as part of the May 5th conference, Making Climate Change Policy Work in Difficult Economic Times. PowerPoint presentations by these and other conference speakers will be available at laborcenter.berkeley.edu Moderator: Carla Din, Apollo Alliance Speakers: Chris Busch, Center for Resource Solutions KC Bishop, Chevron Corporation Rafael Aguilera, Verde Group Tim Rainey, California Labor Federation Workforce and Economic Development Program Sponsor details: This event was sponsored by the UC Berkeley Labor Center (laborcenter.berkeley.edu) with Apollo Alliance, California Labor Federation's Workforce and Economic Development Program, California State Building and Construction Trades Council, Don Vial Center on Employment in the Green Economy, Energy Foundation, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative, and Western Climate Advocates Network (WeCAN). Funding was provided by the Energy Foundation, French American Charitable Trust, and Pacific Gas and Electric.
Morning Workshop: Common issues for labor and environmental justice groups This was one of the morning workshops offered as part of the May 5th conference, Making Climate Change Policy Work in Difficult Economic Times. PowerPoint presentations by these and other conference speakers will be available at laborcenter.berkeley.edu Moderator: Rachel Morello-Frosch, UC Berkeley Speakers: Lisa Hoyos, AFL-CIO Nia Robinson, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative Erin Rogers, Union of Concerned Scientists Miya Yoshitani, Asian Pacific Environmental Network Sponsor details: This event was sponsored by the UC Berkeley Labor Center (laborcenter.berkeley.edu) with Apollo Alliance, California Labor Federation's Workforce and Economic Development Program, California State Building and Construction Trades Council, Don Vial Center on Employment in the Green Economy, Energy Foundation, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative, and Western Climate Advocates Network (WeCAN). Funding was provided by the Energy Foundation, French American Charitable Trust, and Pacific Gas and Electric.
Keynote Address: Making Climate Change Policy Work Conference Introduction of Speaker: Cheryl Brown, UC Berkeley Labor Center Speaker: Manuel Pastor, University of Southern California Manuel Pastor is Professor of Geography and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, where he also serves as Director of the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) at USCs Center for Sustainable Cities and as Co-Director of USC's Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII). Founding director of the Center for Justice, Tolerance, and Community at the University of California, Santa Cruz, he holds an economics Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Sponsor details: This event was sponsored by the UC Berkeley Labor Center (laborcenter.berkeley.edu) with Apollo Alliance, California Labor Federation's Workforce and Economic Development Program, California State Building and Construction Trades Council, Don Vial Center on Employment in the Green Economy, Energy Foundation, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative, and Western Climate Advocates Network (WeCAN). Funding was provided by the Energy Foundation, French American Charitable Trust, and Pacific Gas and Electric.
Opening Plenary: Climate Change, Economic and Carbon Pricing Overview This was the opening plenary of the May 5th conference, Making Climate Change Policy Work in Difficult Economic Times. PowerPoint presentations by these and other conference speakers will be available at laborcenter.berkeley.edu Opening remarks: Carol Zabin, UC Berkeley Labor Center Art Pulaski, California Labor Federation Bob Balgenorth, State Building and Construction Trades Council Opening Plenary Moderator: Andrea Buffa, UC Berkeley Labor Center Opening Plenary Speakers: Payal Parekh, International Rivers Dan Kammen, UC Berkeley Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory Holmes Hummel, 2008 Congressional Science Fellow Sponsor details: This event was sponsored by the UC Berkeley Labor Center (laborcenter.berkeley.edu) with Apollo Alliance, California Labor Federation's Workforce and Economic Development Program, California State Building and Construction Trades Council, Don Vial Center on Employment in the Green Economy, Energy Foundation, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative, and Western Climate Advocates Network (WeCAN). Funding was provided by the Energy Foundation, French American Charitable Trust, and Pacific Gas and Electric.
Closing Plenary: Where Do We Go From Here? This was the closing plenary of the May 5th conference, Making Climate Change Policy Work in Difficult Economic Times. PowerPoint presentations by these and other conference speakers will be available at laborcenter.berkeley.edu Moderator: Barbara Byrd- Oregon AFL-CIO Speakers: Virgil Welch-California Air Resources Board Vivian Buckingham-Ceres Dave Foster-Blue-Green Alliance Sponsor details: This event was sponsored by the UC Berkeley Labor Center (laborcenter.berkeley.edu) with Apollo Alliance, California Labor Federation's Workforce and Economic Development Program, California State Building and Construction Trades Council, Don Vial Center on Employment in the Green Economy, Energy Foundation, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative, and Western Climate Advocates Network (WeCAN). Funding was provided by the Energy Foundation, French American Charitable Trust, and Pacific Gas and Electric.
Climate Navigator: A New Tool for Policy Leaders to Address Environmental Challenges Nina Kelsey, Mark Huberty and John Zysman [Political Science, UC Berkeley]; Gary Baldwin [CITRIS] Abstract: Resolving debate over the existence of man-made climate change required a large international infrastructure. The IPCC, national governments, NGOs, universities, and media all played important roles in coordinating the scientific effort. As the world embarks on climate change mitigation, attempting to build a green economy, we will need a similar infrastructure to improve collaboration between disciplines and support good policy. We will present the Climate Navigator, built on the Wikipedia model, as one element of this infrastructure. By capturing, organizing, and presenting knowledge, and by synthesizing debate and analysis around climate change mitigation, the Climate Navigator will assist the process of answering the major questions that are becoming commonplace: should biofuels be used, and what kind? Will solar power deliver on its promise? How can national regulation help reconcile prosperous industrial economies and low emissions? Biographies: Mark Huberty is a graduate student in Political Science at the University of California at Berkeley, and a research associate with the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy. His research interests include the political economy of climate change ...
Title: Evaluating Climate Change Institutions: Justice or Legitimacy? Speaker: Robert O. Keohane, Professor of International Affairs, Princeton University. Discussant: Charles R. Beitz, Department of Politics, Princeton University Lecture Abstract Discussions of ethics and climate change often focus on issues of justice. With respect to the ethics of climate change institutions, however, justice is the wrong lens. Since institutions in world politics are shaped by interests and power, they uniformly fail to meet any universal standards of justice. Differences between various theories of justice are immaterial for policy decisions, since actual institutional procedures and outputs fall short of the standards that any coherent theories would prescribe. For practical policy analysis, it is more important to focus on legitimacy than justice. For an institution to be legitimate means that it is worthy of our obedience within its sphere of activity. Legitimacy is a lower standard than justice, but still provides a meaningful ethical benchmark, and adequate legitimacy should be a necessary condition to support multilateral institutions. A cap-and-trade architecture, with compliance arrangements involving buyer liability, provides the best way of building climate institutions that are both legitimate and effective. Part of the Ethics and Climate Change Series, co-sponsored by the Princeton Environmental Institute and the University Center for Human Values
"Support! National Park Rule Change 36 CFR 4.30" The International Mountain BIcycling Association (IMBA) asks you to support the National Park Service and the proposed Rule Change 36 CFR 4.30- the special regulation that applies to mountain biking in the parks! It is our national parks that unite us all as Americans. From the establishment of Yellowstone as Americas first national park in 1872, to the 391 National parks that we have today. Americans have been united in their support of a national park system that protects our countriess most treasured natural landscapes, ecosystems and cultural resources. Our national parks provide many opportunities for exploration — from hiking and horseback riding, to fishing and rafting, to climbing and mountain biking. Mountain biking is an ideal way to explore dirt roads and trails. Currently, more than 40 national parks offer mountain biking opportunities, helping connect visitors to the natural world. The non-profit Outdoor Industry Foundation tells us that bicycling is the number one gateway activity that gets kids outside and involved in a variety of outdoor sports, such as fishing, backpacking and hiking. Mountain bikers are committed to protecting the environment, and are proven stewards of the lands in which they ride. Every year, IMBA members contribute more than one million hours of volunteer trail work, building and maintaining environmentally sustainable trails around the United States. Independent scientific studies ...
President-elect Barack Obama has unveiled what is being called his "green team", the Cabinet secretaries and top officials that will deal with environmental and energy policies. While environmental groups have praised the choices, they also say the incoming administration will need to make major policy changes to meet the challenges of global warming and other environmental problems. Producer Zulima Palacio takes a look into it. Carol Pearson narrates.
We went inside the Transition and put together a short video of a meeting between the Energy and Environment Policy Team and a group of energy and environmental leaders, including representatives from the Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Pew Environment Group. Learn more at Change.gov. www.change.gov
What direction will our energy policy take in the next four years? Four leaders give their perspectives on climate change and energy policy and the resulting impact on economic growth and technological innovation. Welcome and introduction by Teresa Heinz Chairman of The Heinz Endowments and the Heinz Family Philanthropies. Speakers: John Holdren, Professor of Environmental Policy, Harvard University; Lee Branstetter, Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Heinz College; Granger Morgan, Lord Chair Professor in Engineering; Professor and Department Head, Engineering and Public Policy; Melissa Young, student in the Heinz Colleges Master of Science in Public Policy and Management program.
A behind-the-scenes look at how President-elect Obama's Transition Team is approaching climate issues. www.change.gov
A lecture by Andrew Light, associate professor of philosophy and environmental policy at George Mason University (GMU) and an internationally recognized environmental ethicist specializing in the ethical dimensions of environmental policy, restoration ecology and climate change.
In 1995, scientists issued the first Global warming alert, but today, experts say that at least one fifth of Bangladesh will be swallowed up by rising sea levels within 50 years. Al Jazeera travels to Bangladesh to see the impact of environmental policy where the remainder of the country is expected to follow by the end of the century.
www.pbs.org Watch "Heat," on air and online beginning Tue, Oct 21 on PBS (check local listings). For years, big business—from oil and coal companies to electric utilities to car manufacturers—has resisted change to environmental policy and stifled the debate over climate change in America and around the globe. Now, facing rising pressure from governments, green groups and investors alike, big business is reshaping its approach to the environment. With the election looming, FRONTLINE producer Martin Smith investigates what some businesses are doing to fend off new regulations and how others are repositioning themselves to prosper in a radically changed world. For more: www.pbs.org For years, big business—from oil and coal companies to electric utilities to car manufacturers—has resisted change to environmental policy and stifled the debate over climate change in America and around the globe. Now, facing rising pressure from governments, green groups and investors alike, big business is reshaping its approach to the environment. With the election looming, FRONTLINE producer Martin Smith investigates what some businesses are doing to fend off new regulations and how others are repositioning themselves to prosper in a radically changed world. For more: www.pbs.org
As the science of climate change becomes increasingly well understood, the ramifications of projected increases in temperature, changes to rainfall patterns, rises in sea-level and increase in extreme weather events require attention from policy-makers worldwide. This is particularly apparent in relation to migration, refugees and international security, with climate change acting as a threat multiplier to exacerbate existing tensions and instability. The Institute of Environmental Studies, in conjunction with the Climate Change Research Centre, the Faculty of Law and the Refugee Council of Australia held a public forum at UNSW on these very issues featuring Professor Andy Pitman, Dr Jane McAdam and Anna Samson. Visit www.ies.unsw.edu.au for more details. Contact: Sarah Terkes | +61 2 9385 5759 | s.terkes@bmwhi.org.au
California & The Future of Environmental Law & Policy California's Regulatory Response to Climate Change - Implementing AB 32 Tony Brunello, Deputy Secretary for Climate Change and Energy, California Resources Agency, Sacramento, CA Ann Carlson, Professor of Law, University of California-Los Angeles, School of Law, Los Angeles, CA Michael Hanemann, Professor of Agricultural Economics, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA Nicholas van Aelstyn, Principal, Beveridge & Diamond, San Francisco, CA ccelp.berkeley.edu
A panel of Carnegie Mellon researchers discuss global climate change and how we all can be contributors to the solution. Moderated by alumna Dr. Marilyn Bracken (MM'57), President and General Manager of Bracken Associates LLC. Panelists include Steinbrenner Institiute for Environmental Education & Research (SEER) faculty Dr. Lester Lave, Co-Director Carnegie Mellon Electrical Industry Center; Dr. M. Granger Morgan, Director of the Climate Decision Making Center and Edward Rubin, Professor in Engineering and Public Policy and Mechanical Engineering.
Welcome and Overview - Richard Frank, Executive Director, California Center for Environmental Law & Policy, University of California, Berkeley Law School. Purpose and Expectations - Ruth Coleman, Director, California State Parks. Climate Change and Impacts to California Habitat and Wildlife - Marc Hoshovsky, Senior Environmental Scientist, Department of Fish and Game San Francisco Bay Area Regional Strategy for Climate Change - Will Travis, Executive Director, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission
Clean Energy Strategies for Environmental Sustainability - Daniel M. Kammen, Professor, Energy and Resources Group, Director, Public Policy, Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley Relationship Between Evolutionary Hotspots and Climate Change in California - Craig Moritz, PhD, Director, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Professor, Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley Protecting and Managing Valley Oak in the Face of Climate Change Victoria Sork, Chair and Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles
In Travis County District Court yesterday, Judge Orlinda Naranjo granted Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF) a continuance allowing TURF to move to the discovery phase and depose top Transportation Department (TxDOT) officials, including Transportation Commission Chairman Ric Williamson himself. TURF's attorneys, Charlie Riley, David Van Os, and Andrew Hawkins outmaneuvered Attorney General counsel Kristina Silcocks to file a motion for a continuance to allow TURF to move to the discovery phase to gather evidence to show TxDOT's top brass broke the law with the Keep Texas Moving (KTM) ad campaign and lobbying Congress to buyback interstates. "This is a great victory for Texas taxpayers!" an elated Terri Hall, TURF's Founder and Executive Director proclaimed. "This egregious misuse of $9 million of taxpayer money by a rogue government agency is one MAJOR step closer to being stopped." The tide seemed to turn when Riley showed the affidavit by TxDOT's Helen Havelka was false. TURF uncovered this August 13, 2007 memo by Coby Chase through an Open Records request showing the Keep Texas Moving campaign was not over and in fact it has multiple phases planned with the next one fashioned to influence the upcoming Trans Texas Corridor TTC-69 NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) hearings planned for early 2008. With a clear attempt to mislead the court by causing Judge Naranjo and the public to believe the KTM Campaign was over when in fact it isn't, the State's ...
Al Gore - Reflecting on Climate Change and Global Warming I invite you to take 10 minutes to reflect on climate change and Global Warming. Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation. Global average air temperature near the Earth's surface rose 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.3 ± 0.32 °F) during the past century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes, "most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations," which leads to warming of the surface and lower atmosphere by increasing the greenhouse effect. Natural phenomena such as solar variation combined with volcanoes have probably had a small warming effect from pre-industrial times to 1950, but a small cooling effect since 1950. These basic conclusions have been endorsed by at least 30 scientific societies and academies of science, including all of the national academies of science of the major industrialized countries. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists is the only scientific society that rejects these conclusions, and a few individual scientists also disagree with parts of them. Climate change refers to the variation in the Earth's global climate or in regional climates over time. It describes changes in the variability or average state of the atmosphere over time ...
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