The University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment is well represented on a series of climate-change panels being convened by the National Academies.

Four of the 90 national experts asked to serve on the four panels are SNRE faculty:

• Dean Rosina M. Bierbaum is serving on the Informing Effective Decisions and Actions Related to Climate Change Panel.
• Professor Andy Hoffman is serving on the Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change Panel.
• And Professors Maria Lemos and Ted Parson are serving on the Adapting the Impacts of Climate Change Panel.

In November, the National Academies launched the congressionally requested study titled "America's Climate Choices." The suite of activities under way is expected to provide policy-relevant advice, based on scientific evidence, to guide the nation's response to climate change. Experts representing various levels of government, the private sector and research institutions are serving on four panels and an overarching committee.

Consensus reports from the panels will be released in 2009 and 2010. The 23-member Committee on America's Climate Choices will issue an overarching report in 2010 that will integrate the findings and recommendations from the panel reports and other sources to identify the most effective short-term actions and most promising long-term strategies, investments and opportunities for responding to climate change.  This latter report is expected to answer four overarching questions:

• What short-term actions can be taken to respond effectively to climate change?
• What promising long-term strategies, investments and opportunities could be pursued to respond to climate change?
• What are the major scientific and technological advances needed to better understand and respond effectively to climate change?
• What are the major impediments (e.g., practical, institutional, economic, ethical, intergenerational, etc.) to responding to climate change, and what can be done to overcome these impediments?

Later this month, the Summit on America's Climate Choices will be conducted in Washington, D.C. The March 30-31 event provides panelists the opportunity to interact with leaders on the issues and other constituencies to frame the questions and issues that the study will address.

The panels are accepting public comments through April 17; a Facebook group has been created for those interested http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=65309841736.

According to the National Academies, each panel has the following role:

• Panel on Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change: Describe, analyze and assess strategies for reducing the net future human influence on climate, including both technology and policy options (sometimes referred to as "mitigation of climate change"). The panel will focus on actions to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions and other human drivers of climate change, such as changes in land use, but will also consider the international dimensions of climate stabilization.
• Panel on Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change: Describe, analyze and assess actions and strategies to reduce vulnerability, increase adaptive capacity, improve resiliency and promote successful adaptation to climate change in different regions, sectors, systems and populations. The costs, benefits, limitations, tradeoffs and uncertainties associated with different options and strategies should be assessed qualitatively and, to the extent practicable, quantitatively, using the scenarios of future climate change and vulnerability developed in coordination with the Committee on America's Climate Choices and other panels.
• Panel on Advancing the Science of Climate Change: Provide a concise overview of past, present and future climate change, including causes and its, then recommend steps to advance current understanding, including new observations, research programs, next-generation models and the physical and human assets needed to support these and other activities. The panel is being asked to consider both the natural climate system and the human activities responsible for driving climate change and altering the vulnerability of different regions, sectors and populations as a single system.
• Panel on Advancing the Science of Climate Change: Describe and assess different activities, products, strategies and tools for informing decision makers about climate change and helping them plan and execute effective, integrated responses. It will describe the different types of climate change-related decisions and actions being made at various levels and in different sectors and regions, develop a framework for analyzing and informing these actions and decisions, and evaluate the activities, products and tools that could help ensure these actions and decisions are informed by the best available technical knowledge.

About the National Academies
The National Academies perform a public service by bringing together committees of experts in all areas of scientific and technological endeavor. These experts serve pro bono to address critical national issues and give advice to the federal government and the public. Four organizations comprise the Academies: the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council.

Related links:
SNRE's Climate Change web site
America's Climate Choices web site
Summit agenda