Cultivating bridges between science and policy is essential for progress on climate change. Here Dr. Max Moehs of the American Society of Plant Biologists highlights his insights after recent meetings with members of the U.S. Congress.
Impressions of Climate Science Day
By: Charles Paul “Max” Moehs, Ph.D.
Cross-posted from ASPB Plant Blog
In 1962, when I was born, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere stood at 316 parts per million (ppm). Now, nearly 52 years later, the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has reached 400 ppm. I can’t see it, taste it, or feel it but through the power of science I know it is there and still rising. The evidence is unequivocal that this increase is due to our burning of fossil fuels. It is strange to think that because of this vast uncontrolled experiment we are conducting with the earth’s atmosphere the world into which I was born, in a certain sense, no longer exists.
Annual Climate Science Day: Scientific Thought Leaders Unite
To raise awareness among US politicians and policy-makers about climate change and the impacts of unrestricted carbon dioxide emissions, 14 scientific societies have joined forces to hold an annual Climate Science Day on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Now in its 4th year, about 40 scientists fanned out across Capitol Hill on January 29th 2014 to meet lawmakers and their staffs to discuss climate science and to offer themselves as resources about the science of climate change. This year I had the privilege of representing the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) on Climate Science Day. Continue reading
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