In 2017, three major hurricanes struck the United States, causing as much as $200 billion in damage and considerable loss of life. Whenever extreme weather events occur, assertions are made about possible connections to human-caused climate change. We need not rely on assertions as there is a robust body of research and evidence available. I’ve studied extreme weather the damage that it causes for the past 25 years. I’ve also had a front row seat to the so-called “climate wars” — the highly politicized, often nasty and always passionate debate over human-caused climate change. This talk will present consensus science and data on the role of human-caused climate change in trends in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather, in the United States and around the world. I’ll also describe the significant challenges I faced in simply trying to present this science to policy makers and the public. The bottom line? Scientific integrity matters, regardless of your politics. All sides in the climate debate should do better. I’ll suggest how
This post summarizes my positions and endorsements related to 2018 US elections. These views are expressed in my private capacity and are not related to my work as a professor. Some endorsements are in races that directly affect me, others are not. I’ll update as races and issues become more clear. Caveat lector.
I’m expressing these positions here for two reasons. One is on the off chance that someone might see them and explore my recommendation a bit further. The other is that I am often asked my political views, so here they are.
Updated: 4 March 2018
Jason Crow (D) – Colorado House of Representatives 6th District
The annual report has come to be an expected yearly event for academics. For me it is called the FRPA – Faculty Report of Professional Activities and is due to my campus administrators in January. To get a head start I’ve put together a 2017 year in review.
Testimony before the House Science Committee on the importance of scientific assessments (my 5 minute statement via YouTube below, PDF, full hearing video here)
Submission to European Athletics on World Record Revision Proposal, European Athletics. (PDF)
A few years ago I committed to giving fewer talks, but ensuring that each provided the opportunity to say something new or (hopefully) important. Here are the talks I gave in 2017 that best fit into that category.
March – An Inside Look at the Politics of Climate (University of Florida, PDF)
March – The Science and Politics of “Sex Testing” in International Sport (University of Florida, PDF)
April – Scientific Integrity and Anti-Doping Regulation (Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters, Oslo, Norway, Twitter talk)
July – New values for sport governance in the 21st century (Australian Society for Sports History, Sydney, Australia, abstract)
July – Climate Politics as Manichean Paranoia (GWPF, London, YouTube below)
October – What Should Scientists do When Science Gets Political? (Silas Ethics Lecture, Georgia Tech, link to video)
November – An Evaluation of the Governance of US Olympic Sports Federations (Play the Game, Eindhoven, Netherlands, PDF)
More than for its efforts to point out what sport bodies could be doing to improve their governance, The Edge is a valuable read for the way it asks you what the actual problems are and challenges you to consider how far you are willing to go to resolve them. The answers may surprise some.
I have an essay on climate politics forthcoming at the IEEJ (Institute for Energy Economics, Japan) Energy Journal. The title of my essay is, “Climate Change as Symbolic Politics in the United States” and is here in PDF. Here is the bottom line:
United States’ climate policy is highly uncertain, mainly because it is a partisan issue and US political situation is fluid. A return to Democratic leadership in the White House might see the Trump approach similarly overturned, as with the Obama approach. At the same tie, because of the focus on political symbolism over policy substance, there is a real possibility that Trump Administration ultimately does not matter much for U.S. climate policies. Instead, larger trends likely to continue to dominate (e.g., markets, prices, technology, etc.).
The question for those interested in policy to accelerate decarbonization of the US and global economies is similarly clear: Can the issue be de-politicized for 2020 and beyond in order to better focus on policy over politics? Or is climate change to remain primarily a political symbol?
Extreme Weather and Extreme Politics
The annual report has come to be an expected yearly event for academics. For me it is called the FRPA – Faculty Report of Professional Activities and is due to my campus administrators in January. To get a head start I’ve put together a 2017 year in review.
