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U.S. Climate Change Summit Sets Stage for National Response

Posted on: Monday, 30 March 2009, 10:18 CDT

WASHINGTON, March 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A two-day summit on climate change that is bringing together top scientists, members of Congress, Obama administration officials, business leaders, state government officials, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations kicked off today at the National Academy of Sciences. The summit -- which launches America's Climate Choices, an NAS project that will generate a series of congressionally-requested reports -- will lay the groundwork for how the nation can limit the magnitude of climate change, adapt to its impacts, and provide paths to action. A live webcast can be viewed at http://national-academies.org.

"Given that climate change is intertwined with other strategic priorities, such as energy and national security, we have invited speakers with a broad array of expertise and perspectives to start an open dialogue as the country charts a course to respond to climate change," said Ralph J. Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences. "We are pleased that Congress recognized the need for independent, expert advice to inform and guide policymaking related to climate change, and that so many of the nation's top experts have volunteered to serve on the America's Climate Choices studies."

Presenters from academia, industry and international trade organizations, environmental groups, and different levels of government will speak at the summit, including:

• Albert Carnesale, chair of America's Climate Choices, and chancellor emeritus and professor, University of California, Los Angeles
• William Chameides, vice chair of America's Climate Choices, and dean, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University
• Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), chair of the House Committee on Science and Technology
• Charles Holliday Jr., America's Climate Choices committee member and chairman of the board, DuPont
• Jane Lubchenco, administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.), member of the House Committee on Appropriations
• James J. Mulva, chairman and CEO, ConocoPhillips
• Mary Nichols, chairman, California Air Resources Board
• Susan Solomon, America's Climate Choices committee member; senior scientist, NOAA, and former co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group I
• James Woolsey, former director, Central Intelligence Agency and venture partner, VantagePoint Venture Partners

The summit provides an opportunity to frame the questions that the America's Climate Choices study will address. Four study panels will issue reports on specific topics related to climate change, and the project will culminate with an overarching report that identifies short-term actions and promising long-term strategies to respond to climate change. In total, 90 experts have volunteered to serve.

The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies. They are independent, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under an 1863 congressional charter. Committee members, who serve pro bono as volunteers, are chosen by the Academies for each study based on their expertise and experience and must satisfy the Academies' conflict-of-interest standards. For more information, visit http://national-academies.org/studycommitteprocess.pdf.

More information on the summit and reports can be found at http://www.americasclimatechoices.org. An archived webcast of the summit will be available.

SOURCE National Academy of Sciences

Source: PR Newswire

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