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Confronting Human-Driven Climate Change in the United States: The Need for New Energy Policy
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
7:30pm
Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum
600 South Gregory Street
Urbana (View Map)
Donald Wuebbles
Harry E. Preble Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
Climate change, or global warming as it is often called, is one of the most important issues facing humanity. All available evidence indicates that human activities are responsible for most of the changes in climate that have been documented over the last four decades. If we continue our current energy policy, even greater changes are projected for the rest of the 21st century and beyond. For the United States, this doesn’t just mean generally warmer temperatures, but also major shifts in rainfall and snow patterns, severe weather, and floods and droughts. While some of the potential impacts are likely to be beneficial, the evidence clearly points to the bad outweighing the good. For example, the most recent analyses suggest that sea levels could increase by as much as three to four feet over this century, leading to many concerns about property and energy and transportation infrastructure in our coastal areas. In the Midwest, our cities and our rural communities are likely to face increased challenges from heat waves, floods and droughts, as well as weeds, pests, and disease. This presentation focuses on the state of the science and our analyses of how climate change is likely to affect the United States, with a special focus on the Midwest. I will also discuss the basis for adaptation and mitigation policies, including the need for emissions reductions, and what that implies about energy and transportation policies for our country. One thing is clear, the future climate impacts on our society depend greatly on the choices we make today about our energy future.
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