Category: Climate change - Page 3

The Geoscience & Society Summit: Bridges to Global Health, Resilience & Sustainability

3 December 20207 February 2019 by Joshua Speiser

The threats of climate change, growing water and energy demands and threats to human health are posing unprecedented challenges to human populations across the globe. Effective solutions to these challenges will require the expertise of the science community, in collaboration with policymakers, NGOs, non-profit organizations and corporations. It is this desire for cross organizational solutions … Read more

AGU Applauds the Fourth National Climate Assessment

15 December 202023 November 2018 by Chris McEntee

In 1990, President Ronald Reagan initiated the U.S. Global Change Research Program, and Congress mandated that a report be released at least every four years outlining what climate change – past, present, and future – means for the United States. In the decades since, four of the National Climate Assessments have been released and AGU … Read more

Robust Investment in Natural Hazards Research is Essential to Our Safety and Security

15 December 202012 October 2018 by AGU Staff

Tomorrow, 13 October, is International Day for Disaster Reduction, created by the United Nations in 1989 to promote risk-awareness and natural disaster reduction. Now, as then, the need for proactive action is clear to help save lives and reduce devastating economic losses. Since 13 October last year, the United States has seen flooding from Tropical … Read more

Defending U.S. Government Employed Earth and Space Scientists

15 December 202016 November 2017 by Chris McEntee

Earth and space scientists work in key positions throughout the federal government. As civil servants, atmospheric scientists at NOAA, seismologists at the USGS, and hydrologists at the EPA– and frankly all other agency scientists – work to help fulfill their agencies’ missions and safeguard the health, economy, and security of all Americans. That’s why it’s … Read more

4th U.S. National Climate Assessment: Reinforcing the Scientific Consensus

15 December 20203 November 2017 by Chris McEntee

Volume 1 of the Congressionally mandated 4th U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA) was released earlier this month. Led by scientists working at NOAA, the Climate Science Special Report (CSSR) is the work of many of the nation’s most accomplished climate scientists. Used as a core blueprint used to inform the public and craft public policy … Read more

The Great ShakeOut: In the Wake of the Great Fire and Great Flood

13 December 202017 October 2017 by Joshua Speiser

By Ross S. Stein, President of the AGU Tectonophysics Section, CEO of Temblor.net, and Adjunct Professor of Geophysics, Stanford University Fire and Rain Over the past week, those of us living in northern California, and perhaps people throughout the arid western U.S., have watched in horror as fires continue to sweep through the wine country, … Read more

Earth Science and Human Activity: Taking Action to Avert Catastrophe

13 December 20209 October 2017 by Joshua Speiser

By Linda Rowan, AGU Societal Impacts and Policy Sciences (SIPS) Focus Group President, and Director of External Affairs, UNAVCO Inc. Earth science captures the public’s attention when a natural disaster strikes, when natural resources are needed or when Earth’s environment faces a threat. As the Earth science community prepares to celebrate Earth Science Week from … Read more

World Ozone Day and the Success of the Montreal Protocol

11 December 202019 September 2017 by Joshua Speiser

September 16, 2017 was the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. In fact, September 16, 2017 marked the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Montreal Protocol. The protocol was aimed at regulating the production and use of chemicals that contribute to the depletion of Earth’s ozone layer. It entered into force on January 1, 1989, … Read more

Reflections On the 1900 Galveston Hurricane, Hurricane Harvey, and the Increase in Extreme Weather Events

13 December 20207 September 2017 by Joshua Speiser

By Ramesh P. Singh, Ph.D., AGU Natural Hazards Focus Group President, and Chapman University Professor of Earth System and Remote Sensing On 8 September 1900, the town of Galveston, Texas, close to Houston, was hit by a category 4 hurricane with strong winds of 135 miles per hour and storm surges up to 15 feet … Read more

Stand Up for Earth and Space Science: Meet with Your Legislator During August Recess

13 December 202012 July 2017 by Eric A. Davidson

“We need to tell that story,” said my Senator, after I told him how NOAA’s Sea Grant Program budget is only $73 million/yr, even though it helps hundreds of communities to prepare for hurricanes and storm surges and manage coastlines1. I suspected that he would be a strong supporter of science, but I didn’t realize … Read more