Roundtable Workshops

Roundtable Workshop 5: From Climate to Weather: Impacts on Society and Economy

Workshop Summary

June 28, 2002 The National Academies
2101 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

AGENDA

Objective: The objective of this workshop is to discuss the current state of knowledge of the relationship between climate variability and extreme weather and to inform and learn from policymakers and stakeholders of the science and uncertainties associated with extreme weather events, their link to climate variability, and their societal and economic impacts

8:30 AM Welcome and introductions
Rutherford Platt, NDR Chair

8:45 AM Congress and Extreme Weather, Implications, and Policy
James Jensen, Director of Congressional Affairs, National Research Council

9:15 AM Lessons from U.S. National Assessment
Anthony Janetos, Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment

9:05 AM Lessons from the NAS Assessment (Related Report)
Vaughan Turekian, National Research Council

9:25 AM Role of Congress and Legislation
Jim Jensen, National Academies

9:45 AM Discussion

10:00 AM Break

10:15 AM Panel on Understanding the Science and Uncertainties

Moderator: Robert Hirsch, USGS

10:20 AM Climate Record and Extreme Weather
Jay Lawrimore, NOAA

10:40 AM Role of Natural Modes of Variability in Influencing Extreme Events
Antonio Busalacchi, University of Maryland

11:00 AM Role of Climate Change in Severe Weather Events
Howard Bluestein, University of Oklahoma

11:20 AM Role of Climate Change on Tropical Cyclones
Tom Knutson, NOAA/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory

11:40 AM Extreme Weather Projections from Climate Models
Francis Zweirs, Canadian Climate Centre for Modeling and Analysis

12:00 PM Panel Discussion

12:30 PM Lunch

1:30 PM Framing Policy Implications

Moderator: William Hooke, American Meteorological Society

1:40 PM Societal Impacts--Sorting out increased vulnerability from changes in extremes
David Changnon, Northern Illinois University (Related Article)

2:00 PM Economic Impacts of Extreme Weather Events
Harold Cochrane, Colorado State University

2:20 PM Human Vulnerability and Adapting to Climate Change
Tom Wilbanks, Oakridge National Laboratory

2:40 PM Adaptation and Resilience ('No Regrets' Strategy)
Ian Burton, Environment Canada
3:00 PM Role of Media in Public Perception and Education
Steve Lyons, The Weather Channel (Download Presentation)

3:20 PM Panel Discussion

4:00 PM Wrap up
Jim Bruce, Global Change Strategies, Inc.
4:20 PM Adjourn