I am Bill Moomaw, Professor Emeritus of International Environmental
Policy at Tufts University, and Chair of the Science Committee at
Earthwatch Institute. AMA!
Abstract
Hi Reddit, Last year, I retired from Tufts University’s Fletcher School
of Law and Diplomacy (the only chemist on the faculty!), where I founded
and directed the Center for International Environment and Resource
Policy (http://fletcher.tufts.edu/CIERP) for 22 years. I supervised many
masters’ and doctoral students during that time, including the co-chair
of the Paris climate negotiations. I continue to work on climate science
and policy, energy, water, forests and oceans to develop scientifically
valid and effective strategies and policies. I served as a lead author
on five IPCC reports over a 19-year period. Until recently I served as
Chief Scientist at Earthwatch Institute (http://earthwatch.org/) and
continue to serve as the Chair of their Science Committee. I also serve
on the board of directors of Woods Hole Research Center
(http://whrc.org/), ranked as the most influential climate think tank
for the past two years, and several additional environmental science and
consensus building organizations. The science of climate change is
complex, and the politics are more so. I have always found the
interaction between the two to be fascinating, and remember being
shocked as a young scientist that science did not always determine the
political outcome of a policy process. I want to share with you the role
of science in the outcome of the Paris climate negotiation that just
ended on December 11th, 2015. A bit of history: back in the 1980s, a
group of scientists convinced some governments that based on their
research, the release of heat trapping gases into the atmosphere would
heat the earth to a point where there could be uncontrollable and
irreversible warming with devastating consequences for all life,
including humans. This science prompted two actions. The first was to
create the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to provide
scientific input to governments on the science, impacts,
vulnerabilities, adaptation, and mitigation of climate change. The
second was to negotiate an international treaty, the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change that was signed by 154 nations in 1992. The
Paris negotiations were the 21st meeting of the parties to the original
treaty, and its actions both utilized and ignored science in the final
outcome. I invite you to join me in a discussion about how science and
policy came together and diverged over issues like the 2oC global
temperature goal during the recent Paris talks. I’ll be back at 1 pm EST
(10 AM PST, 6 pm UTC) to answer your questions, ask me anything! EDIT:
We are live! EDIT IN CLOSING: Thank you all for your engagement, and
your thoughtful questions. It has been very gratifying to hear your
concerns. Let me close with one final thought. So many actions to
address climate change have many additional benefits for providing
sustainable energy to all and lift people out of poverty. There would be
far less damage to the planet and our health if we can make the shift
away form fossil fuels. As I said earlier, we also need to do
Restorative Development to mobilize the biosphere so that we improve our
forests and land quality every time we use them instead of constantly
degrading them. Perhaps, you will enjoy one of my favorite cartoons as a
closing. http://imgur.com/up6yu