From Risk to Resilience: Wildfires and the Insurance Industry’s Climate Reckoning

In episode 28 of America Adapts, Doug Parsons talks with Dr. Rebecca Beavers of the Climate Change Response Program at the National Park Service. Yes, that Park Service of Federal government fame.  In this fascinating and very practical episode, Rebecca talks about the newly released Coastal Adaptation Strategies Handbook.  Doug and Rebecca talk about the history of the guidebook and some practical ways to apply what’s in it. Now on Spotify! Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes Listen here. On Google Play here. Please share on Facebook! Donate to America Adapts (We are now a tax deductible charitable organization!) “We are here to help the parks adapt to climate change.” Dr. Rebecca Beavers, National Park Service In addition, we are in week three of the new Trump Administration. It is important to note this podcast was recorded three days before Trump’s inauguration. For the record, Dr. Beavers obtained permission through appropriate channels at NPS to participate in this podcast.  The recording occurred under the Obama administration, but the publication of the podcast has been delayed for several weeks into the Trump Administration. It remains to be seen how active federal agencies, and NPS in particular, will be able to speak out on climate change related work.  But for the time being, listen in as Dr. Beavers – a brilliant and committed public servant - talks about coastal adaptation.   Doug also talks with Dan Ackerstein about the first few weeks of the Trump administration and what that will mean, based on early actions by Trump, for federal agencies like NPS working on climate change issues.   Highlights: Doug and Rebecca talk about the unique mission of the National Park Service. What would it mean to privatize a park? We discuss the realities of parks that will be submerged by sea level rise and what that means for your average park goer’s experience. Learn about all the climate change activities NPS is involved in. Learn the art of making waysides at the parks. In depth discussion of the coastal adaptation handbook. We talk about the role of scenario planning at NPS. We discuss the unique ability of NPS in protecting some of America’s key cultural resources. We discuss the size of the report and the challenges of people taking advantage of it. How does one approach it in a useful way. Is there an opportunity for each park to host its own podcast? We talk about NPS being able to do what they’ve been doing on climate change within a new Trump administration. America’s best idea has done groundbreaking work on climate change and the public will expect it continues to do so! Additional Resources: Coastal Adaptation Strategies Handbook- released Oct 31, 2016- 4th anniversary of Hurricane Sandy https://www.nps.gov/subjects/climatechange/coastalhandbook.htm Coastal Adaptation Strategies Case Studies (Companion to handbook) - Released at COP 21 in Paris, Nov 2015 https://www.nps.gov/subjects/climatechange/coastaladaptationstrategies.htm More Coastal Resources https://www.nps.gov/subjects/climatechange/coastaladaptation.htm CR Strategy & Impacts table https://www.nps.gov/subjects/climatechange/adaptationforculturalresources.htm NPS Climate Change https://www.nps.gov/subjects/climatechange/index.htm More on Coastal Geology https://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/coastal/climate.cfm More on Ocean & Coastal resources https://www.nature.nps.gov/water/oceancoastal/index.cfm Yale Climate Connections Podcast- Statue of Liberty September 2016 http://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2016/09/costs-mount-to-protect-statue-of-liberty/ KPBS interview with Rebecca Beavers about broader Climate Change Impacts in the National Park Service http://www.kpbs.org/news/2016/jul/04/scientists-say-climate-change-damaging-national-pa/ Climate Central's report on National Park Service units near New York City at risk from Sea Level Rise http://reports.climatecentral.org/nps/new-york-parks-sea-level-rise/ Ensia- What is a National Park to do about Climate Change https://ensia.com/features/whats-a-national-park-to-do-about-climate-change/ Coastal Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerabilities; A Technical Input to the 2013 National Climate Assessment; Co- author Adaptation and Mitigation Chapter (with Lara Hansen) Marcy Rockman's Blog post Sea Change: Climate Change and Coastal National Parks https://savingplaces.org/stories/sea-change-climate-change-coastal-national-parks#.WJTlcFMrJpg   America Adapts also has its own app for your listening pleasure!  Just visit the App store on Apple or Google Play on Android and search “America Adapts.” Finally, yes, most of your favorite podcasts are supported by listeners just like you! Please consider supporting this podcast by donating through America Adapt's fiscal sponsor, the Social Good Fund. All donations are now tax deductible! For more information on this podcast, visit the website at http://www.americaadapts.org and don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on Itunes.   America Adapts on Facebook!   Join the America Adapts Facebook Community Group. Check us out, we’re also on YouTube! On Twitter: @usaadapts Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes Doug can be contacted at americaadapts @ g mail . com .

7 Helmi 20171h 19min

Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes Listen here. Now on Spotify! On Google Play here. To get a tease how our conversation went: DOUG PARSONS:  Do you think the Scientist March is a good idea?   ANDY REVKIN:  No. ANDY REVKIN:  People should visit Woodward County, West Virginia — the most climate skeptical county in the U.S. ANDY REVKIN:  Nothing we can do right now will change the course of climate change for at least a decade. In the latest episode of America Adapts, Doug Parsons talks with legendary journalist, Andy Revkin.  Andy has been a long time reporter for the New York Times, covering climate change science, policy and impacts for decades. Andy also blogged at Dot Earth for the New York times, one of the most popular ‘hang outs’ for those wanting to learn more about global warming. Doug talks with Andy about his recent move to Propublica, an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.  Andy talks about his early days in science journalism, going all the way back to the 1980s when he started working for the now defunct Science Digest. In what becomes almost a climate change history lesson, Andy then explains how global warming awareness grew in the sizzling summer of 1988, with Yellowstone National Park on fire and famed climatologist James Hansen testifying before Congress. As Andy put it regarding his shift to climate reporting after these events, “I never got off the bus.” Discussing climate change with Andy is like rehashing an Indiana Jones movie:  from his visit to the North Pole, writing on the Vatican and global warming, to the policy and science implications of the issue. Andy has long been associated with his perch at the New York Times and we discuss the details of that identity pivot to Propublica. We talk about his long term goals of writing longer investigative pieces, to highlighting some of the daily reporting he’s done during the first weeks of the Trump administration. Andy discusses the need for anonymous tips in climate reporting and how Propublica has created an encrypted page for these tips. Other topics covered: Propublica has a section “Steal our stories” that encourages others to repost their work. Andy describes how the Obama administration went through their own secretive information sharing process especially regarding the work of scientists at the EPA. Andy revisits his reporting during the George W. Bush years,. This includes the tampering with NASA research by Bush administration officials. “Science is like putty, unfortunately, in the policy arena,” as Andy describes how administrations handle issues like science. Andy describes how natural gas fracking, went from officially ‘unconventional gas’ to a ‘conventional gas’ supply and how that affected climate emissions trends. For other countries, climate change has become a key issue like trade and security, so Trump just can’t come in and ignore it. Andy describes his own podcast, Warm Regards, which he cohosts with Eric Holthaus and Jacqueline Gill. Andy discusses the positive aspects of adapting to climate change versus fighting global warming through mitigation. Andy thinks focusing on adaptation is a good thing, since it’s a ‘now’ issue, with impacts impacting communities now, whereas mitigation will be an issue that takes decades to address. Encourage America Adapts to go on the road and talk to the communities facing these challenges first hand. Key Quotes: Doug poased the question, “Do you think the messaging that will come out of the upcoming scientist march on Washington will be helpful?”  Andy responds: “No.” (Again, listen in to hear the nuance behind his answer.) “The global warming problem is too big for Trump to do much about…” meaning Trump’s ability to impact action in a negative way. “He can’t make it worse. Just like Obama couldn’t make it better.” (Listen to get the nuance of these quotes!) “Trump can’t order West Virginia’s miners to go back in the mines” meaning Trump’s ability to get the country to switch back to coal. “The end of coal in America is a done deal, and Trump can’t force that to change.” Andy’s final message and it’s a great one:  “At the grandest scale, the thing I’ve learned about the climate problem, it is so big and multi-faceted, that everyone can play a role.” Doug also brings on previous guest, Tristram Korten to discuss reporting in the age of Trump.  Tristram is the reporter who broke the viral story, “Florida Governor Bans Climate Change”.  Tristram and Doug discuss the challenges of journalism in the face of a hostile government and what some options are for those in government who want to share information with reporters. So please have a listen, it’s an amazing conversation with a legendary figure in climate change circles.   Additional Resources: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114029917 For those who didn’t know, Andy is quite the accomplished musician (and toured regularly with the late, great Pete Seeger). http://j.mp/revkinmusic Stories in Propublica: https://www.propublica.org/search/search.php?qss=revkin+climate+trump+obama&x=0&y=0&csrf_token=664986bb133b59015d7ad527eed303a11be63e61a421860d7a81d39a760d75e5 Final Dot Earth Post: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/11/14/my-propublica-move-from-blogging-and-teaching-back-to-deep-digging-on-climate/ Books by Andy https://www.amazon.com/Andrew-Revkin/e/B001IXNSRK/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1390325965&sr=1-2-ent Andy on Twitter: @revkin Warm Regards @ourwarmregards America Adapts also has its own app for your listening pleasure!  Just visit the App store on Apple or Google Play on Android and search “America Adapts.” Finally, yes, most of your favorite podcasts are supported by listeners just like you! Please consider supporting this podcast by subscribing via PayPal! For more information on this podcast, visit the website at http://www.americaadapts.org and don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on Itunes.   America Adapts on Facebook!   Join the America Adapts Facebook Community Group. Check us out, we’re also on YouTube! On Twitter: @usaadapts Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes Doug can be contacted at americaadapts @ g mail . com .

31 Tammi 201758min

In the latest episode of America Adapts, Doug Parsons talks with Shaun Martin, Senior Director of Adaptation and Resilience at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).  Donate to America Adapts (We are now a tax deductible charitable organization!) Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/america-adapts-climate-change/id1133023095?mt=2 Listen here. On Google Play here. Please share on Facebook! On Twitter: @usaadapts Doug and Shaun then talk about WWF’s long and storied history in adaptation planning, WWF being one of the first groups to develop its own internal adaptation program.  Shaun walks through the nuts and bolts of developing an adaptation program and what it means for a group that already has a longstanding history of groundbreaking conservation programs.  Shaun discusses the sometimes difficult journey of merging existing conservation efforts with new approaches like adaptation.  Shaun also discusses the key role training plays in adaptation planning at WWF, not only with his staff, but with people working in the field.  The Titanic is used as an analogy for adaption in our discussion, as Shaun walks us through what that means, and it’s not as bleak as you might think. Shaun provides the insight, that as conservationists, we are not emotionally equipped as adaptionists to deal with the many difficult future decisions on species and ecosystems, in the context of climate change, that will need to be made.  Doug and Shaun discuss the cultural shifts needed in the conservation community to ‘give up’ on species, and are the policy pieces in place to help make those decisions.  Doug and Shaun also discuss the long standing notion of the intrinsic value of nature, why that doesn’t resonate with the broader public, and how adaptation can be a unifying theme between intrinsic value and ecosystem services. Shaun is an expert is Ecosystem Based Adaptation (EBA) and the two spend considerable time discussing this topic, its similarities to ecosystem service, and how it’s been used in the field. Other topics covered: Does EBA offer the US Department of Agriculture a way forward to invest more in adaptation funding? Comparing adaptation to pornography to make a point: I know it when I see it! Doug and Shaun count down their top 3 challenges of communicating adaptation. Shaun discusses how his WWF adaptation team went through a communication training, learning how to talk adaptation with donors, the public, field staff, and more. Mentioned in This Episode: Titanic “Managing Decline” National Park Service Ecosystem Services Lara Hansen Nikhil Advani   Additional Resources: Free interactive courses and training activities for conservationists on climate change adaptation basics developed by Shaun. Available in multiple languages. Watch Shaun's recent webinar, "Learning to Live with Climate Change: What Educators need to know." with the North America Association for Environmental Education.  https://naaee.org/eepro/learning/webinars/learning-live-climate-change-what In A Changing Climate, We Need Nature To Save Us From Ourselves http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shaun-martin/in-a-changing-climate-we-_b_11800250.html EbA Revisited: disentangling misconceptions about nature and adaptation http://www.climateprep.org/stories/2016/6/14/eba-revisited-part-1-disentangling-misconceptions-about-nature-and-adaptation?rq=Shaun%20Martin Adaptation strategies: Invest in natural capital https://www.greenbiz.com/article/adapting-climate-change-road-less-travelled 5 Things You (Probably) Didn't Learn in Business School https://www.worldwildlife.org/blogs/on-balance/posts/5-things-you-probably-didn-t-learn-in-business-school Embracing Uncertainty: Is It Really That Hard? http://www.climateprep.org/stories/2016/3/1/embracing-uncertainty-is-it-really-that-hard?rq=Shaun%20Martin America Adapts also has its own app for your listening pleasure!  Just visit the App store on Apple or Google Play on Android and search “America Adapts.” Finally, yes, most of your favorite podcasts are supported by listeners just like you! Please consider supporting this podcast by donating through America Adapt's fiscal sponsor, the Social Good Fund. All donations are now tax deductible! For more information on this podcast, visit the website at http://www.americaadapts.org and don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on Itunes.   America Adapts on Facebook!   Join the America Adapts Facebook Community Group. Check us out, we’re also on YouTube! On Twitter: @usaadapts Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes Doug can be contacted at americaadapts @ g mail . com .

23 Tammi 20171h 10min

Donate to America Adapts (We are now a tax deductible charitable organization!) Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes Randy Olson joins Doug Parsons on America Adapts to discuss the dire state of coral reefs; storytelling as a technique to communicate complex science; and what we can learn from Donald Trump’s vexing, but intuitive narrative instincts.  Randy has had a fascinating career arc.  He is a scientist-turned-filmmaker who earned his Ph.D. in Biology from Harvard University (1984) and became a tenured professor of marine biology at the University of New Hampshire (1992) before changing careers by moving to Hollywood and entering film school at the University of Southern California.  The first part of the discussion focuses on the state of coral reefs in the world and how the conservation and science communities have done a poor job communicating the dire state of coral reefs.  Randy highlights some of his early career research, diving on some of the most pristine spots in the Caribbean and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.  Doug and Randy talk about how in the 1980s through the 1990s, the coral reef systems begin to really fall apart due to pollution and bleaching events.  Randy explains the concept of shifting baselines, which demonstrates how we lose track of the past by resetting what we consider an existing baseline.  People diving for the first time on coral reefs in the 1990s would have no idea they are viewing a highly degraded system, hence the ‘shifting baseline.’ This makes communicating the urgency of coral conservation that much harder.  Randy then discusses the critical need to develop simple narratives to communicate complex subjects (such as coral reef conservation!).  The coral reef community has struggled to communicate in a cohesive manner the current state of this diminishing ecosystem.  Doug and Randy also discuss the diverse and contradictory nature of the coral reef community: scientists, conservationists, and the tourism industry, each of which has its own agenda when communicating the state of coral reefs.    Randy discusses the recent presidential campaign and how Donald Trump intuitively understood simple narratives with his “Make America Great Again” slogan. Other topics covered: Randy discusses his storytelling technique, “ABT” (and, but, therefore) and how it can be used to simplify coral reef conservation narratives. We talk about story circles, a workshop that randy runs with different agencies and groups to practice the ABT story narrative structure. Randy describes how Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is a perfect example of the ABT structure. We go through the thought exercise: what if Donald Trump tried to save coral reefs, how would he approach it? Randy discusses how the doomsday clock was a good example of how the science community distilled the complex threat of nuclear disaster into a simple message. How does one adapt to climate change in a ‘post factual world’? We ponder this dilemma. The “truth” is not prevailing in scientific discourse, but narrative dynamics are, e.g., “Make America great again.” We discuss the plight of the Vaquita dolphin and how it represents a failure of the conservation community to rally around a message that would have saved it. Scientists need to understand that Hollywood, movies and television, are meant to entertain. Structure your advocacy message accordingly. Don’t bore people. With the new administration, Randy observes we have likely entered a new era of anti-science. The science community needs to be prepared. Finally, we discuss solutions such as getting local groups to take ownership of simplifying the message of adaptation and conservation.  It is a provocative and thought provoking episode, but ultimately a hopeful one, where both Randy and Doug challenge the science and conservation communities to learn to embrace simple narratives to get the public more aware of these important issues.  Mentioned in This Episode: Randy Olson Discovery Bay, Jamaica Lizard Island, Australia Jeremy Jackson, Coral Reef Researcher Randy Olson on Twitter, @ABTagenda Story Circles “Houston We Have Story: Why Science Needs Story” by Randy Olson Don’t be Such a Scientist by Randy Olson Rand’s blog: com “Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln Finally, yes, most of your favorite podcasts are supported by listeners just like you! Please consider supporting this podcast by donating through America Adapt's fiscal sponsor, the Social Good Fund. All donations are now tax deductible! For more information on this podcast, visit the website at http://www.americaadapts.org and don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on Itunes.   America Adapts on Facebook!   Join the America Adapts Facebook Community Group. Check us out, we’re also on YouTube! On Twitter: @usaadapts Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes Doug can be contacted at americaadapts @ g mail . com .

17 Tammi 20171h

Donate to America Adapts (We are now a tax deductible charitable organization!) Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes Dr. Jesse Keenan, of Harvard University, joins Doug Parsons on the first episode of America Adapts of 2017!  Dr. Keenan is a member of the faculty of the Graduate School of Design where he teaches courses and conducts research in the fields of real estate development, design-development management and technology and climate adaptation science.  Jesse wears several hats: academic, public and professional.  In their conversation, Doug and Jesse dig into the origins of adaptation planning and how the federal government is currently approaching the issue. Jesse has several roles advising the federal government on adaptation and we talked about those many different approaches. We spend considerable time discussing the emergence of ‘resilience’ as the primary word and approach by the government, and increasingly, the private sector. Much of this origin ties into aligning adaptation with disaster management and Jesse explains those links.  Jesse also explains how partisan politics played a role in the rise of ‘resilience’ as the preferred term in adaptation planning. We also talk about how adaptation has become a serious area of study for universities. Jesse is one of the more prolific publishers of adaptation literature and we talk about some of his work.  We also discuss the state of adaptation in academic programs at universities in the United States.  Professors like Jesse are providing the much needed academic grounding for the emerging field of adaptation. Jesse also discusses Harvard’s role in engaging the city of Miami with adaptation planning and we talk frankly about the future of that city and the tough choices that community will have to make in the coming years regarding sea level rise. We also learn that Jesse is a fellow University of Georgia graduate and he talked about being on campus when legendary ecologist Eugene Odom was there. Doug and Jesse also have a lively discussion about the movie The Big Short, and speculate what lessons could be learned from the real estate bubble as society begins to incorporate uncertainty into long adaptation planning. Other topics discussed: We discuss how one person’s resilience is another person’s maladaptation. How 911 terror attacks led the modern national security state to adopt resilience as the preferred approach to climate change planning. Learn how federal agencies have evolved to incorporate disaster risk management, adaptation and resilience. FEMA, etc. Learn how the US is lagging at adaptation in university academic programs. How do ethics come into play when deciding to invest in high risk communities like Miami, New Orleans, etc.  Learn what climate gentrification means for Miami. How a huge company like Goldman Sachs approaches climate change. The Challenge of drawing distinctions between sustainability, resilience and adaptation. Also in this episode, we talk with Beth Gibbons, Managing Director of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals. Beth talks about the January 25th deadline to nominate someone (or your own org) for their Adaptation Prize for Progress, which will be announced in May at the National Adaptation Forum. Additional Notes: People can pre-order Jesse’s new book Blue Dunes: Climate Change by Design here: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Dunes-Climate-Change-Design/dp/1941332153 Dr. Jesse Keenan on Twitter:  @Jesse_M_Keenan Jesse’s Harvard Profile: http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/person/jesse-keenan/ http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/2016/09/jesse-keenan-leads-research/ https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-10-31/climate-change-is-already-forcing-americans-to-move Finally, yes, most of your favorite podcasts are supported by listeners just like you! Please consider supporting this podcast by donating through America Adapt's fiscal sponsor, the Social Good Fund. All donations are now tax deductible! For more information on this podcast, visit the website at http://www.americaadapts.org and don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on Itunes.   America Adapts on Facebook!   Join the America Adapts Facebook Community Group. Check us out, we’re also on YouTube! On Twitter: @usaadapts Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes Doug can be contacted at americaadapts @ g mail . com .

9 Tammi 20171h 14min

Donate to America Adapts (We are now a tax deductible charitable organization!) Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes It’s the final episode of America Adapts for 2017! In this edition, Doug highlights the first six months of the podcast and thanks his many supporters and listeners.  The podcast features Dan Ackerstein (from Ackerstein Sustainability) and regular contributor,  Tim Watkins.  Tim, Doug and Dan list their top 5 climate change stories of the year. It’s been a very eventful year for climate change and America Adapts discusses with humor and urgency.  The conversation takes an unusual turn for the podcast:  America Adapts goes to the Movies! Dan and Doug discuss how climate change has been portrayed in Hollywood, using 4 examples, and identifying the likelihood of the stories and the soundness of the science within the movies. It’s a funny, informative conversation to close out the year.  Additional Show notes: Movies quotes from the podcast can be found here and here. Dan Ackerstein is a founding member of the The BIT Building Program, which provides structure, peer support, expert guidance, and public recognition for buildings working to reduce their operational impacts on the environment. Finally, yes, most of your favorite podcasts are supported by listeners just like you! Please consider supporting this podcast by donating through America Adapt's fiscal sponsor, the Social Good Fund. All donations are now tax deductible! For more information on this podcast, visit the website at http://www.americaadapts.org and don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on Itunes.     America Adapts on Facebook!   Join the America Adapts Facebook Community Group. Check us out, we’re also on YouTube! On Twitter: @usaadapts Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes Doug can be contacted at americaadapts @ g mail . com .

22 Joulu 20161h 14min

Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes In this traveling episode, Doug Parsons takes America Adapts on the road to sunny Ft. Lauderdale, Florida! Doug was invited as press to cover the inaugural Companies vs Climate Change (CvCC) conference.   The purpose of the event was:  to serve as a global forum for companies of all sizes to share best practices for solving climate change with wholly justifiable business value. CvCC strives to serve as a conduit that will bring companies together to create business driven solutions to the climate crisis. This conference  was about three things: 1.Climate change; 2.How can companies address climate change? 3. How can companies collaborate to address climate change?  As you can see, it covered a lot. The city of Ft. Lauderdale was an excellent setting, embedded in the South Florida culture of adaptation.  The plenary speaker was Republican Mayor of Ft. Lauderdale, Jack Seiler.  The Mayor stressed the role businesses must play in meeting the challenges of climate change, and he noted, his city is dealing with the impacts of sea level rise first hand.  Although still a hot potato issue in other parts of the country, it was refreshing to see South Florida embrace the need to address what is happening in their own backyard (or beach).   Doug listened in to a number of interesting presentation topics:  the major airlines addressed carbon mitigation in the airline industry; resilience in the supply chain process; the role of renewable energy;  dealing with climate change under a new political administration; and developing public/private partnerships. Generally, Doug has participated in more adaptation themed conferences, but this one was a mix of mitigation and adaptation.  It was interesting to see many of the businesses try to incorporate adaptation into their already existing sustainability efforts. Terms like “triple bottom lined” were used frequently (social, economic and environmental);  terminology Doug was not accustomed to hearing in conservation oriented meetings!   Doug wandered the hallways, interviewing scientists, business people and non governmental representatives. A sampling of some of the ‘mini-podcasts’ below: Chandler Van Voorhis of Green Trees discussed: Carbon markets and tree plantings. Markets moving ahead independent of government action. Launch of new app to help offset carbon. Michael Green of the Climate Action Business Association His groups helps businesses understand the risks and opportunities with climate change. Discussed what small business leaders have already done. We discuss if adaptation/risk officers will follow the same, underappreciated path of sustainability officers. Greg Hamra of Hamra Center for Climate Solutions Discussed the Citizens Climate Lobby and its role in mitigation policy. Their efforts to engage with businesses. Doug also talked with Dr. Tiffany Troxler and Dr. Shimon Wdowinski of Florida International University, both sea level rise experts,  and conference organizer, Nick Aster, from Triple Pundit.  Listen in to the micro-podcasts to hear their perspectives on the role of ‘companies versus climate change.’ Finally, yes, most of your favorite podcasts are supported by listeners just like you! Please consider supporting this podcast by subscribing via PayPal! For more information on this podcast, visit the website at http://www.americaadapts.org and don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on Itunes.   America Adapts on Facebook!   Join the America Adapts Facebook Community Group. Check us out, we’re also on YouTube! On Twitter: @usaadapts Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes   Doug can be contacted at americaadapts @ g mail . com .

13 Joulu 20161h

Donate to America Adapts (We are now a tax deductible charitable organization!) Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes In this week’s episode of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons gets a visit from legendary climate change scientist/activist, Dr. Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Pennsylvania State University. Doug and Mike talk about a wide range of issues: from the publication of his new book, The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial Is Threatening Our Planet, Destroying Our Politics, and Driving Us Crazy; the Presidential Election; the history of climate denialism; to science communication in general.  We discuss Randy Olson’s influence, the scientist turned filmmaker, who connected Doug and Mike, which led to a discussion on effective science communication and the use of storytelling in science.  Regarding Mike’s new book, The Madhouse Effect, in an innovative twist, Mike collaborated with Tom Toles, long time cartoonist with the Washington Post. The book focuses on climate change and the long running battles climate scientists have had with the denier movement. Tole uses his cartoons to encapsulate each chapter with a relevant and biting cartoon.  The book deftly uses humor to reach a different audience with hopes of educating them about climate science.  The conversation then pivots to some climate science history, where Mike vividly describes what the political and scientific world was like when he first released his now iconic ‘hockey stick’ research paper.  Mike explains some of the key moments of constructing that paper and that “uh oh” moment when they realized humans were behind the recent warming around the globe. Mike then walks us through his many battles with the denier movement, from the time he was sued at the University of Virginia, through the infamous Climategate “scandal.”  Doug and Mike discuss the difficulties of communicating with the public when scientists are held (and hold themselves to) a much higher standard of information sharing, whereas the Koch Brothers' funded opposition has no such standard.  We discuss the ‘fake news’ issue and how that has been present in the climate change world for years. Finally, we talk about what will happen during a Trump administration.  An overall theme of our Trump discussions is the wildcard nature of his policies. President-Elect Trump even recently met with Al Gore to discuss climate change.  Doug and Mike anticipate bad things in addressing climate change, but also recognize that President Trump might surprise his detractors.  Mann acknowledges his book is much more relevant with the election of Donald Trump since the book deals so much with climate denial. Doug asks Mike, hypothetically, what if President Trump asked Mike to come to the Oval Office to brief him on climate change: what would he say to President Trump?  Without giving too much away, it involved invoking Lincoln, recruiting Bill Nye the Science Guy, and playing to Trump’s very large ego.  Some key quotes from the podcast interview: “Climategate was a rear guard, battle of the bulge, full frontal assault on the science of climate change.’ “If trump does move forward with the agenda he’s threatened to pursue...then it could be game over for stabilizing temperatures at 2 degrees..” “The forces of anti-science are very mobilized, and trained to be very great communicators and in many cases...they are cleaning our clocks…”  “If we are to actually make America great again, then we’re going to have to be part of the clean energy revolution.” “We now have for the first time in history, a president who denies that climate change even exists.” “It’s in the realm of possibility that Trump could flip on the issue of climate change if there was a concerted, good faith outreach effort, to him,  by the scientific community.” “Donald trump doesn’t get to decide if the world moves ahead on climate change, the world is moving ahead.” We discuss the upcoming 20 year anniversary of the hockey stick and opportunities to acknowledge that anniversary as way to highlight the issue of climate change in a potentially future hostile political environment.  The conversation with Mike was fascinating, informative and downright inspiring. So have a listen, there’s much much more that’s said! Finally, yes, most of your favorite podcasts are supported by listeners just like you! Please consider supporting this podcast by donating through America Adapt's fiscal sponsor, the Social Good Fund. All donations are now tax deductible! For more information on this podcast, visit the website at http://www.americaadapts.org and don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on Itunes.   America Adapts on Facebook!   Join the America Adapts Facebook Community Group. Check us out, we’re also on YouTube! On Twitter: @usaadapts Email:  americaadapts@gmail.com Subscribe to America Adapts on Itunes Additional Resources for Dr. Michael Mann http://www.michaelmann.net/news http://www.meteo.psu.edu/holocene/public_html/Mann/news/interviews.php

6 Joulu 20161h 13min