IU Bloomington climate scientist Sara C. Pryor to advise U.S. government
Atmospheric scientist and Provost's Professor Sara C. Pryor has been named to the new National Climate Assessment and Development Committee, convened by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to help the U.S. government prepare for and deal with climate change.
The committee, composed of 40 of America's best climate scientists and 13 ex-officio members representing federal agencies, has been tasked with developing a National Climate Assessment report no later than June 2013. The Obama Administration published a white paper earlier this year stating the National Climate Assessment report was one of two top climate science priorities for the 2012 fiscal year. A budget supporting the committee's work was approved by the Office of Management and Budget last fall.
"The objectives and scope of the committee activities include but are not limited to integration, evaluation and interpretation of climate science projections and the likely impacts of climate change across the U.S.," said Pryor, a respected expert on climate science who has also contributed to work by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The committee will also analyze the effects of current and projected climate change on Americans' health, welfare, agriculture, ecosystems, and also analyze global climate trends for the next 25 to 100 years.
"Synthesizing the current and future impacts of climate change on the U.S. is a very ambitious undertaking," said Scott Robeson, IU Bloomington Geography chair. "I'm very pleased to see that the Secretary of Commerce is drawing on our nation's best scientists, such as Sara Pryor, to make this substantial and sophisticated assessment."
This article was originally published on April 19, 2011.
