Independent Advisory Committee on Applied Climate Assessment
In August of 2017, the current U.S. Administration allowed a federal advisory committee to lapse that was providing advice to federal agencies on how to organize climate assessment activities to better inform decisions likely to be affected by climate change, such as investment by states, cities, and private-sector firms in transportation, water resources, energy, and related infrastructures.
In January 2018, the committee was recommissioned by Governor Cuomo of NY State on behalf of the US Climate Alliance - a multi-state coalition. New York State is joining with Columbia University, the American Meteorological Society, and others in providing financial, professional, and logistical support for this effort.
The core question the committee will address is how to enable stakeholders, including state and city governments and the private sector, to work alongside the federal government to produce and use rigorous scientific information to help prepare their communities for a changing climate. Changing patterns of extreme events such as droughts, wildfires, floods, and storms make basing such decisions on past climate records risky.
The Committee
While we are still forming the Advisory Committee, here is the current list of expert members!
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Dr. Richard Moss, Chair of the Committee; Fellow, Columbia University. [BIO]
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Dr. Susan Avery, Former President, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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Ms. Kristin Baja, Climate Resilience Officer, Urban Sustainability Directors Network
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Dr. Maxine Burkett, Professor of Law, University of Hawai’i, William S. Richardson School of Law
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Dr. Ann Marie Chischilly, Executive Director, Northern Arizona University-Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals
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Ms. Jan Dell, Chief Engineer, Wyland Foundation
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Mr. Paul Allen Fleming, Microsoft Corp
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Ms. Kathy Jacobs, Director, Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions, University of Arizona
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Dr, Andy Jones, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
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Dr. Kim Knowlton, Senior Scientist, Science Center Deputy Director, Assistant Professor, Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
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Mr. Jay Koh, Co-Founder and Managing Director, The Lightsmith Group/Global Adaptation & Resilience Investment Working Group
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Dr. Maria Carmen Lemos, Professor; Associate Dean for Research, University of Michigan, School for Environment and Sustainability
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Dr. Jerry Melillo, Distinguished Scientist and Director Emeritus, The Ecosystems Center
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TC Richmond, Partner, Van Ness Feldman
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Dr. Lynn Scarlett, Co-Chief External Affairs Officer, The Nature Conservancy
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Mr. Jared Snyder, Deputy Commissioner, Office of Air Resources, Climate Change and Energy, NY Dept of Environmental Conservation
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Dr. Jessica Whitehead, Coastal Communities Hazards Adaptation Specialist, North Carolina Sea Grant
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Mr. Daniel Zarrilli, Director, New York City Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency
Updates and Information
More about the committee's work, coming soon!
A few links to press coverage about the committee's launch: