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SUMMARY:Risk and (Human-induced) Climate Change - Professor Bob Watson\, U
 niversity of East Anglia
DTSTART:20100305T173000Z
DTEND:20100305T183000Z
UID:TALK19086@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Janet Gibson
DESCRIPTION:Biography\n\nProfessor Watson's career has evolved from resear
 ch scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory: California Institute of Tec
 hnology\, to a US Federal Government program manager/director at the Natio
 nal Aeronautics\nand Space Administration (NASA)\, to a scientific/policy 
 advisor in the US Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)\, White H
 ouse\, to a scientific advisor\, manager and chief scientist at the World 
 Bank\, to a\nChair of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Ang
 lia\, the Director for Strategic Direction for the Tyndall centre\, and Ch
 ief Scientific Advisor to the UK Department of Environment\, Food and Rura
 l Affairs. In parallel to his formal positions he has chaired\, co-chaired
  or directed international scientific\, technical and economic assessments
  of stratospheric ozone depletion\, biodiversity/ecosystems (the GBA and M
 A)\, climate change (IPCC) and agricultural S&T (IAASTD).  Professor Watso
 n's areas of expertise include managing and coordinating national and inte
 rnational environmental programs\, research programs and\nassessments\; es
 tablishing science and environmental policies - specifically advising gove
 rnments and civil society on the policy implications of scientific informa
 tion and policy options for action\;\nand communicating scientific\, techn
 ical and economic information to policymakers.   During the last twenty ye
 ars he has received numerous national and international awards recognizing
  his contributions to\nscience and the science-policy interface\, includin
 g in 2003 - Honorary "Companion of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint Ge
 orge" from the United Kingdom.\n\nAbstract\n\nThe question is not whether 
 the Earth’s climate will change in response to human activities\, but wh
 en\, where and by how much. Human activities are changing the Earth's clim
 ate and further human-induced climate change is inevitable.  Indeed the cl
 imate of the next few decades will be governed by past emissions.  The mos
 t adverse consequences of human-induced climate change will be in developi
 ng countries and poor people within them.  Climate change threatens to bri
 ng more suffering to the one billion people who already go to bed hungry e
 very night and the approximately 2 billion people exposed to insect-borne 
 diseases and water scarcity. Sea level rise threatens to displace tens of 
 millions of people in deltaic areas and low-lying small island states.  Cl
 imate change will undermine the ability of many poor people to escape pove
 rty and the long-term sustainable economic development of some countries. 
 Hence\, climate change is not only an environmental issue\, but a developm
 ent and security issue.\nThe challenge is to limit the magnitude and rate 
 of human-induced climate change\, and simultaneously reduce the vulnerabil
 ity of socio-economic sectors\, ecological systems and human health to cur
 rent and projected climate variability by integrating climate concerns int
 o local and national economic planning.  \nTechnological options for reduc
 ing greenhouse gas emissions cost-effectively over the next few decades al
 ready exist.  However\, the required transition to a very low carbon econo
 my (a reduction in global emissions by at least 50% by 2050) will require 
 a technological evolution in the production and use of energy\, energy sec
 tor reform\, appropriate pricing policies and behavior change\, coupled wi
 th a more sustainable agricultural sector and reduced deforestation. This 
 transition to a low-carbon economy must be achieved while improving access
  to affordable energy in developing countries\, which is critical for econ
 omic growth and poverty alleviation\, and while ensuring adequate affordab
 le and nutritious food.  \nThe challenge is to negotiate a long-term (up t
 o 2050) global regulatory framework that is equitable with common but diff
 erentiated responsibilities and has intermediate targets that can reduce g
 reenhouse emissions to a level that limits the increase in global mean sur
 face temperature to 2oC above pre-industrial levels.  While this goal has 
 been widely accepted\, the current rate of growth in emissions globally\, 
 coupled with a failure in Copenhagen to agree to stringent targets to redu
 ce emissions\, makes this goal extremely difficult\, hence the world needs
  to be prepared to adapt to a 4oC warmer world.\n
LOCATION:LMH\, Lady Mitchell Hall
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