Cameron Wake
Climate Changes in New England: From Science to Solutions
Climate changes. It always has and always will. An extensive body of scientific evidence shows that human activities are the primary forces driving present changes in the Earth's climate system. Over the past six decades, New England's climate has been getting warmer and wetter, extreme precipitation events have increased, sea levels continue to rise, and summertime drought has become more frequent. These trends are very likely to continue.
Dealing with climate change requires us to both prepare for the changes we know are coming (adaptation) and reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases to minimize the amount of future change (mitigation). Several positive trends in adaptation and mitigation suggest that climate change is the innovation opportunity of the 21st century. In summary: it's real; it's us; it's bad; but scientists agree, there is still hope for the future.
Cameron Wake is a Research Professor at the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space at the University of New Hampshire and is the Josephine A. Lamprey Professor in Climate and Sustainability at the UNH Sustainability Institute. He leads a research program investigating regional climate change through the analysis of ice cores, historical data, and instrumental data. In recognition of his engaged scholarship around the issue of climate change, Professor Wake was awarded the UNH Faculty Award for Excellence in Public Service in 2010.
Wake also helps lead Climate Solutions New England, a collaborative effort to secure healthy, prosperous, and sustainable communities through the pursuit of integrated solutions that include building energy self-reliance and weather resilience. His collaborative research on several regional climate assessments in the Northeast United States has been shared with municipal, state, and federal agencies and elected representatives. His research is cited as the basis for recommended changes in climate-related policies.
More about Wake's research is available online at: http://www.eos.sr.unh.edu/Faculty/Wake.
Lyceum 2018 07 15 Lecture.mp3
Lyceum 2018 07 15 Q and A.mp3