Download draft-draft-draft - 2017 AGU Fall Meeting

AGU MEDIA AVAILABILITY: TUESDAY, DEC. 13, 4 p.m.
Scripps contact: Robert Monroe, 858-999-1738 or AGU Press Room
Scripps Communications 858-534-3624; [email protected]
Negotiating Climate Change in a PostParis World
Media Q and A event brings leading climate scientists to discuss the innovation,
diplomacy, and verification needed to maintain Paris Agreement pledges
Scripps Institution of Oceanography/University of California San Diego
Climate scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San
Diego will join political scientists and policy experts from around the world to examine the
promise and the political reality of climate change action since the Paris Agreement was drafted
in 2015 in a series of talks at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2016 Fall Meeting.
Members of the media attending the Fall Meeting are invited to
take part in a question-and-answer session following two panel
discussions of post-Paris Agreement climate action (Tuesday,
Dec. 13, 4 p.m. • Moscone West – Press Conference Room).
Scripps Director and AGU President Margaret Leinen will
convene the Frontiers of Geophysics Lecture “Shifting the Energy
Mix in a Post-Paris World” (Tuesday, Dec. 13, 12:30 p.m. •
The Eiffel Tower illuminated for COP21
Moscone North – Hall E) and the union session “The Path Forward from Paris, One Year
Later” (U23A • Tuesday, Dec. 13, 1:40 p.m. • Moscone North – Hall E).
“The world celebrated the historic Paris Agreement last year and again as it came into force a
few weeks ago,” said Leinen. “Now we focus on how this agreement will work and how to
fashion economies that support our communities while decreasing the risk of harmful climate
impacts.”
SCRIPPS COMMUNICATIONS
9500 Gilman Dr., Dept. 0210 · La Jolla, California · 92093-0210
858-534-3624 · scrippsnews.ucsd.edu · [email protected]
The Frontiers of Geophysics Lecture, moderated by science blogger and former New York
Times science writer Andrew Revkin, will explore how the world might achieve the rapid
decarbonization that will be necessary to prevent global temperature increases from crossing
dangerous thresholds. Among the panelists is Scripps Oceanography Distinguished Professor of
Climate and Atmospheric Sciences Veerabhadran Ramanathan, who has argued recently for a
fast action plan that includes the spread of sub-national programs, mitigation of so-called shortlived climate pollutants such as methane and black carbon soot, and a later-stage revival of
forests and adoption of carbon capture and sequestration programs. Ramanathan will highlight
the University of California’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative and the “Bending the Curve” report
in which he played a leading role in writing. Ramanathan said the initiative calls not just for
advances in clean technology but also a transformation of societal attitudes toward sustainability
that can be facilitated by religious leaders and other influencers.
In the session “The Path Forward from Paris, One Year Later,” Leinen will deliver a
presentation co-authored by UC San Diego researchers George Tynan, David Victor, Charles
Kennel, Ray Weiss, and Ralph Keeling that considers the likelihood that the pledges made in
the Paris Agreement will help society reach the goal set forth in the agreement.
The authors note that there is no guarantee that the world will limit global warming to 2 C over
pre-industrial temperatures even if all countries uphold their pledges. Additionally, the recent
U.S. election and other political developments add a level of uncertainty to future mitigation
commitments.
“Our international colleagues rightly fear that they will not see as much of America at COPs
anymore,” said Kennel, a former Scripps director. Kennel also attended COP22 climate talks in
November in Marrakech, Morocco and will join Leinen at the media availability event.
“Despite the gloom that settled in on Marrakech after Nov. 8, I believe that America will
continue to play a strong role in climate affairs because of our research institutions and
innovative industries. Our responsibilities as scientists have never been greater,” Kennel added.
The cross-disciplinary approach of the report, which includes contributions from engineers and
physical, social, and political scientists, reflects a multi-dimensional approach to global
warming, exemplified by the Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation based at
Scripps, which was established in 2015.
Other aspects of the Paris Agreement suggest that there could be meaningful developments in
specific arenas such as ocean protection. Scripps researchers note that marine ecosystems stand
to experience profound impacts even under the most ambitious mitigation scenarios, but that
they are at least receiving greater acknowledgement in the nationally determined contributions
(NDCs) that countries have pledged. The Paris Agreement, unlike the Kyoto Protocol, includes
an equal focus on adaptation and mitigation, allowing for the engagement of many developing
nations working to adapt to climate change impacts. As a result, topics like the ocean that
received little attention during previous climate negotiations, are now being raised by many
developing countries in discussions of climate adaptation and mitigation.
This shift is captured in NDCs, where 70 percent of submitted pledges include coastal, marine,
or ocean issues, according to Scripps student Natalya Gallo, who presented an analysis of NDCs
at COP22. The increased attention to the ocean and climate connection can also be seen through
the recent decision by the IPCC to generate a special report on the Oceans and Cryosphere and
the signing of the Second "Because the Ocean” declaration in Marrakech.
PRESENTATION: • Tuesday, Dec. 13, 12:30 p.m., Moscone North – Hall E
“FRONTIERS OF GEOPHYSICS LECTURE: SHIFTING THE ENERGY MIX IN A
POST-PARIS WORLD”
PRESENTATION: U23A • Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2:30 p. m., Moscone North – Hall E
“THE PATH FORWARD FROM PARIS, ONE YEAR LATER”
MEDIA EVENT: Tuesday, Dec. 13, 4 p.m., Press Conference Room, Moscone West 3000
Q AND A WITH PANELISTS FROM “THE PATH FORWARD FROM PARIS, ONE
YEAR LATER”
###
Scripps Communications Office
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Web: http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu
Phone: 858-534-3624
Email: [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter: @Scripps_Ocean & @Explorations
Facebook: http://facebook.com/scrippsocean
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/scrippsoceanography
Instagram: Scripps_Ocean
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/scrippsocean
About Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, is one of the oldest,
largest, and most important centers for global science research and education in the world. Now in its
second century of discovery, the scientific scope of the institution has grown to include biological,
physical, chemical, geological, geophysical, and atmospheric studies of the earth as a system. Hundreds of
research programs covering a wide range of scientific areas are under way today on every continent and in
every ocean. The institution has a staff of more than 1,400 and annual expenditures of approximately $195
million from federal, state, and private sources. Scripps operates oceanographic research vessels
recognized worldwide for their outstanding capabilities. Equipped with innovative instruments for ocean
exploration, these ships constitute mobile laboratories and observatories that serve students and researchers
from institutions throughout the world. Birch Aquarium at Scripps serves as the interpretive center of the
institution and showcases Scripps research and a diverse array of marine life through exhibits and
programming for more than 430,000 visitors each year. Learn more at scripps.ucsd.edu and follow us
at: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.
About UC San Diego
At the University of California San Diego, we constantly push boundaries and challenge expectations.
Established in 1960, UC San Diego has been shaped by exceptional scholars who aren’t afraid to take
risks and redefine conventional wisdom. Today, as one of the top 15 research universities in the world,
we are driving innovation and change to advance society, propel economic growth, and make our world
a better place. Learn more at www.ucsd.edu.