Hundreds Gathered in Sacramento to Discuss the Impacts of Climate Change in California
Hundreds of scientists, policymakers and those interested in climate change gathered in Sacramento for the California Climate Change Symposium, which focused on using science to plan policy.
The two-day conference was convened by the California Natural Resources Agency, the California Environmental Protection Agency, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The symposium was held Monday and today at the Sacramento Convention Center.
California Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller opened the symposium on Monday by saying the effects of climate change can already be felt throughout the state.
"California has strong climate policies to share with the world, including developing renewable energy and improving efficiency, which have proven effective at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while continuing to grow the economy,” he said. "Continued leadership is critical because California only represents 1 percent of the world’s GHG emissions. We’ve demonstrated that it is possible to reduce GHG emissions and grow the economy."
Although Weisenmiller's comments focused on California, the conference focused on global issues and solutions. The first day's sessions ranged from analyses projections to impacts on human systems and ecosystems. The keynote speakers were Anthony Barnosky and Elizabeth Hadley, authors of "Maintaining Humanity's Life Support Systems," focused on a consensus paper presented worldwide to help policymakers and scientists find solutions to the world's most pressing issue. They discussed the need to make the science understandable and solutions easily available.
The conference continues today with sessions on public health, integration of GHG emissions, federal support, and local and regional activities. All sessions will be available online by the end of August. More information can be found at http://www.californiascience.org/
A live webcast of the conference is here: http://www.californiascience.org/webcast/
