Friday, March 3, 2017
10:30am – 12:00pm
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Building 66 Auditorium

Hosted by: Jennifer Holm

About the Speaker

Dr. Christopher B. Field is the Perry L. McCarty Director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and Melvin and Joan Lane Professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies.  His research focuses on climate change, ranging from work on improving climate models, to prospects for renewable energy systems, to community organizations that can minimize the risk of a tragedy of the commons. Field was the founding director of the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology, a position he held from 2002 to 2016.  He was co-chair of Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change from 2008-2015, where he led the effort on the IPCC Special Report on “Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation”  (2012) and the Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (2014) on Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability.  His widely cited work has earned many recognitions, including election to the US National Academy of Sciences, the Max Planck Research Award, and the Roger Revelle Medal.

Abstract

The landscape of climate change policy and science is changing rapidly.  New knowledge about trends, impacts, and lock-in increases the pressure for quick and ambitious action.  The 2015 Paris Agreement creates a pathway that is compelling for many reasons.  But for avoiding difficult to manage risks, the Paris Agreement needs to be understood as a starting point and not as a complete solution.  Recent progress with adaptation, renewables, energy efficiency, and storage provide reasons for optimism, especially if the US and other big emitters capitalize on the opportunities.