AAAS seeks at every opportunity to increase the volume of scientific leadership on the issue of global climate change. Background materials on AAAS efforts related to climate change and links to relevant resources are provided here.

Climate-Change Town Hall

"Communicating and Learning About Global Climate Change": An estimated 1,000 educators, students, business leaders and others convened in San Francisco on 18 February 2007 for a half-day, town-hall style event on the challenges of climate change-and possible solutions. The event, geared to teachers, students and science communicators, was held at the AAAS Annual Meeting and featured the debut of AAAS's new 12-minute video on climate change, which can be viewed online as RealVideo or Windows Media.

Some of the nation's top climate experts spoke at the event, detailing the latest science on the subject and working with the audience to explore inventive educational and technological responses to it. Videos of the town hall presentations and support materials are available here.

What Can I Do to Help?

• Carbon Footprint Calculator: Check your carbon footprint online at Zerofootprint.

• "Top 50 Things To Do To Stop Global Warming": A practical list from GlobalWarming-Facts.info.

• CO₂ Emissions Calculator: Explore the National Academy of Sciences interactive carbon dioxide emissions calculator

• Browse resources at the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academies

The Science and Impact of Global Climate Change

• "Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States," a 2009 report from the United States Global Change Research Program. [AAAS Board Chairman James J. McCarthy served as an author on the report.]

• "Climate Change 2007: The Synthesis Report": Read an executive summary of the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (November 2007)

• "Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change": Read the third report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (May 2007)

• "Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability": Read the second of four 2007 reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (April 2007)

• "Confronting Climate Change: Avoiding the Unmanageable and Managing the Unavoidable," a new report prepared by the Scientific Expert Group Report on Climate Change and Sustainable Development for the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (The 18-member Expert Group includes former AAAS President and Chairman John P. Holdren; former AAAS President and Chairman Peter H. Raven; and former AAAS Board Member Rosina Bierbaum.) (27 February 2007)

• "Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis": Read the first of four 2007 reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (February 2007)

  • "AAAS President: IPCC Report Underscores Need for Strong Action on Climate," AAAS news report, 2 February 2007

• Learn more at the Woods Hole Research Center's global climate change primer site

• National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration FAQ: frequently asked questions about global climate change

• Read a primer on climate change, presented by the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Office of Programs

• Learn more about weather and climate basics, also presented by the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the UCAR Office of Programs

Climate Change News

• "Climate: A “Crisis of Opportunity” for Agriculture?," Edward W. Lempinen, AAAS news report, 20 November 2009

• "Adaptation Necessary for Coastal Communities," Benjamin Somers and Molly McElroy, AAAS news report, 19 November 2009

• "AAAS Joins Leading Scientific Organizations in Letter to Senators Reaffirming Scientific Consensus on Climate Change," Benjamin Somers, AAAS news report, 21 October 2009

• "S&T Forum Panel: Addressing Climate Change Will Benefit Global Health," Benjamin Somers, AAAS news report, 13 May 2009

• "For Now, at Least, Efficiency May Be the Best Tool for Reducing Carbon Emissions, Experts Say," Edward W. Lempinen, AAAS news report, 25 March 2009

• "Science: Airborne Particles Have Reduced Clear Sky Visibility Over Most of the World," Kathleen Wren, AAAS news report, 12 March 2009

• "Ominous Report on Climate Generates Worldwide Coverage from AAAS Annual Meeting," Edward W. Lempinen, AAAS news report, 15 February 2009

• "In Address to AAAS, Gore Urges Scientists to Join Political Fight on Climate," Edward W. Lempinen, AAAS news report, 14 February 2009

• "McCarthy: Human Impact Has Brought Planet Earth to a “New Era”," Becky Ham, AAAS news report, 14 February 2009

• "Journalists Shift Focus to Impacts of Climate Change," Becky Ham, AAAS news report, 13 February 2009

• "Personalizing Your Energy by Harnessing the Sun," Benjamin Somers, AAAS news report, 13 February 2009

• "Science: Uneven Sea Level Rise from Antarctic Melting May Affect Some Regions More Than Previously Estimated," Kathleen Wren, AAAS news report, 5 February 2009

• Climate Panel Says Science is Critical for Monitoring, Addressing Global Change, Benjamin Somers, AAAS news report, 28 January 2009

• Science: Tree-Death Rates, On the Rise Since 1955, May Be Linked to Climate Change, Kathleen Wren, AAAS news report, 22 January 2009

• Science: Slow Growth Rates in the Great Barrier Reef, Brandon Bryn, AAAS news report, 2 January 2009

• At AAAS-Hitachi Lecture, Ecologist Thomas Lovejoy Offers a Climate Change Rescue Plan, Earl Lane, AAAS news report, 18 November 2008

• Researchers at AAAS Arctic Division Meeting Link Climate, Energy to "Food Insecurity", Edward W. Lempinen, AAAS news report, 10 November 2008

• Obama and McCain Campaigns Detail Energy Polices at Debate Co-sponsored by AAAS, Edward W. Lempinen, AAAS news report, 30 October 2008

• Energy Experts Describe Global Energy Progress—and Hurdles—in Talk at AAAS, Paul Recer, AAAS news report, 15 October 2008

• At AAAS Arctic Meeting, Researchers Explore Unprecedented Changes Confronting the Far North, Edward W. Lempinen, AAAS news report, 8 October 2008

• Science: New Research Reduces Projected Rise is Sea Levels, Brandon Bryn, AAAS news report, 5 September 2008

• AAAS Arctic Division Meeting to Explore Adaptation to Food, Energy and Climate Challenges, Edward W. Lempinen, AAAS news report, 27 August 2008

• Science: Simple, Inexpensive Solar Energy from Light-Absorbing Dyes, Brandon Bryn and Molly McElroy, AAAS news report, 10 July 2008

• Science: Driven by Warming, Plants in Western Europe are Climbing to Higher Altitudes, Brandon Bryn and Molly McElroy, AAAS news report, 26 June 2008

• "Stopping Climate Change Becoming “Less Likely,” says AAAS Chief International Officer," Benjamin Somers, AAAS news report, 19 May 2008

• Watch the video of past AAAS President John P. Holdren talking to Dave Letterman about climate change on CBS’ The Late Show.

• "Underwater Deserts Expand in Tropical Oceans," Brandon Bryn and Molly McElroy, AAAS news report, 1 May 2008

• John P. Holdren's Climate-Change Message: Watch a brief videotaped interview with Dr. John Holdren, former AAAS President, Director of the Woods Hole Research Center, and Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy at Harvard University.
  (RealVideo or Windows Media)

• "In Arctic Alaska, the Warming Climate Threatens an Ancient Culture," AAAS news report, 6 December 2006

• "Time to get serious about climate change," op-ed article, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 July 2006

Events

• Sir David King Urges Global Emissions Pact by 2009: A report on the visit of the chief U.K. scientific adviser to AAAS on 12 July 2007.

  • Watch a video of Sir David King's presentation, "Climate Change: State of Urgency: the Science, the Impacts and Maintaining a Growing Economy."

  • Sir David King's slide presentation

• Chat With Experts on Climate Change: On 5 October 2006 at 10:00 am EDT, EurekAlert!, the premier online science-news service of AAAS, hosted an online discussion with experts Dr. Michael Oppenheimer of Princeton University and Dr. Daniel Schrag of Harvard University. Dr. Jesse Smith of Science moderated.

• Business-as-Usual is Not an Option: Sir Crispin Tickell, climate change scholar and visionary, described imminent perils to the Earth—and some possible solutions—during the annual Robert C. Barnard Lecture at AAAS on 2 October 2006.

• Sir David King Urges Action on Climate Change: September 2005 speech at AAAS by the U.K. Science Adviser

• Qs and AAAs on Global Climate Change, a June 2004 panel convened by AAAS and Science

AAAS Resources for Teachers

• Cutting Carbon Emissions: The Stabilization Wedge game, a unique, hands-on learning tool, helps students learn the impacts of different strategies for reducing greenhouse gases.

• Communicating and Learning About Global Climate Change: An Abbreviated Guide for Teaching Climate Change, from Project 2061 at AAAS.

• AAAS Climate Change Movie: "Communicating and Learning About Global Climate Change," AAAS's new 12-minute video on climate change, can be viewed online as RealVideo or downloaded as Windows Media.

Publications

• Science Magazine's State of the Planet 2008-2009: with a Special Section on Energy and Sustainability, Donald Kennedy (Editor), with contributions by John Holdren (2009), Island Press, 216pp ISBN: 9781597264068

• "The Energy Innovation Imperative," by John Holdren, Innovations: Technology, Goverance, Globalization, Spring 2006, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 3-23.

• Science Magazine's State of the Planet 2006-2007, by Donald Kennedy and the editors of Science, (2006), Island Press, 201pp, ISBN: 1597260630

Selected Recent Science Content

• "Expanding Oxygen-Minimum Zones in the Tropical Oceans," by Lothar Stramma et al., Science, 2 May 2008, vol. 320. no. 5876, pp. 655-658.

• "Arctic Air Pollution: Origins and Impacts," by Kathy S. Law and Andreas Stohl, Science, 16 March 2007, vol. 315. no. 5818, pp. 1537-1540.

• "Recent Sea-Level Contributions of the Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets," by Andrew Shepherd and Duncan Wingham, Science, 16 March 2007, vol. 315. no. 5818, pp. 1529-1532.

• "Perspectives on the Arctic's Shrinking Sea-Ice Cover," by Mark C. Serreze et al, Science, 16 March 2007, vol. 315. no. 5818, pp. 1533-1536.

• Hurricanes, Climate, and Katrina, A special collection from Science Online

• "Warming and Earlier Spring Increase Western U.S. Forest Wildfire Activity," by Anthony L. Westerling et al, Science, 18 August 2006, vol. 313, no. 5789, pp. 940-943.

  • A related AAAS.org news story is online.

• "Changes in the Velocity and Structure of the Greenland Ice Sheet," by Eric Rignot and Pannir Kanagaratnam, Science, 17 February 2006, vol. 311, no. 5763, pp. 986-990.

• "Stable Carbon Cycle-Climate Relationship During the Late Pleistocene," by Urs Siegenthaler and colleagues, Science, 25 November 2005, vol. 310, no. 5752, pp. 1313-1317.

  • See also a related AAAS.org news story: New Research in Science Shows Highest CO₂ Levels In 650,000 Years

• "Climate Change Science: Adapt, Mitigate, or Ignore?" by David A. King, Science, 9 January 2004, vol. 303, no. 5655, pp. 176-177.