UNM Physics and Astronomy hosts colloquium on new climate change report
November 1, 2018
University of New Mexico climatologist David Gutzler presents a talk as part of a Physics and Astronomy Colloquium on the recently released Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Volume 2, assessing impacts of climate change and strategies for adaptation.
The discussion takes place Friday, March 4 at 3:30 p.m. in room 1100 in the PAIS building. The discussion can also be viewed via Zoom at https://unm.zoom.us/j/98382087634. The passcode is PandA.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is in the midst of the staged release of its three-volume Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), in support of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Volume 1, assessing the state of climate change science, was released last August. Volume 2, assessing impacts of climate change and strategies for adaptation, was released this week on Feb. 28.
Gutzler, a professor emeritus in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, has participated in author teams for Volumes 1 and 2 of AR6, and for Volume 1 of the AR5 report issued in 2013. In this presentation, he will briefly review the scope and structure of IPCC assessments and their connection to international policy that aspires to limit the impacts of human-caused climate change. Gutzler is a renowned scholar in the field of climate science. His research involves the dynamics of the atmosphere, climate change and its effect on the biosphere, land surface, water resources, and climate prediction. His work incorporates both observations and modeling, aimed at improving predictions of the North American monsoon as well as understanding the impacts of climate variability and change in the Southwest.
In these assessments, the IPCC confirms that climate change is occurring rapidly, with profound impacts affecting every region on Earth that are likely to intensify unless large-scale reductions in atmospheric greenhouse gases occur very soon. As part of the discussion, a few examples will be presented of progress in scientific understanding of the climate system and on climate change impacts since AR5, and some remaining sources of uncertainty that should motivate future research.
The discussion will conclude with some thoughts on the effectiveness and the limitations of scientific guidance for the international policymaking community concerning a profound environmental challenge.
For more information on The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, visit IPCC.
