The School of Natural Resources and Environment is publishing in August the proceedings from its May 2007 National Summit on Coping with Climate Change. The event — the first of its kind in the nation — focused on helping the United States prepare for the impact of climate change and the ongoing alterations in temperature, precipitation, sea-level rise and species range.
Experts identified adaptation needs in four critical areas: public health, energy industry, water quality and fisheries. Then, they developed options for actions to be taken at local, state and national levels to help prepare cities, counties and states as well as business and industry.
Those ideas, an executive summary and other materials are captured in the book, which also includes a CD with many Powerpoint presentations and related speaker information.
SNRE organized the May 8-10 Summit as the university's commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative, a non-partisan effort to devise and implement solutions to world challenges. Faculty from across U-M colleges, schools and institutes participated in the Summit. External sponsorship came from Google Inc., the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation of San Francisco, the Frey Foundation of Grand Rapids, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"The nation has lost a decade in thinking seriously about coping with climate change. This Summit was an effort to jump-start that conversation with science and policy leaders and put SNRE in the forefront of innovative thinking to confront climate change," said SNRE Dean Rosina M. Bierbaum.
Dan Brown, SNRE associate dean for research, and Jan McAlpine, a visiting scholar from the U.S. Department of State, edited the book.
Visit the National Summit on Coping with Climate Change web site