Drowning and Drought: Extreme Weather Impacts on our Economy and Society

Friday, December 2, 2011
12:30 -2:00 pm
B-340 Rayburn House Office Building
Slides Now Available
Watch Online

2011 has been a record year for weather disasters. From historic drought in Texas to record-breaking flooding in North Dakota, to an unprecedented number (> 5600) of record high temperatures across the United States, much of the country has seen severe damage from extreme weather. The year is not yet over, and economic losses already exceed $45 billion.

This lunch briefing with leading experts will examine extreme weather hazards, with a case study on the Texas drought, their relationship to changes in our climate, and how the country can better prepare for such events. Speakers at this lunch briefing include:

• John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas State Climatologist and Regents Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University (slides)
• Michael Oppenheimer, Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs, Princeton University; Coordinating Lead Author, IPCC Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (slides)
• Frank Nutter, president of the Reinsurance Association of America (slides)

Moderated by Jay Gulledge (slides), Senior Scientist and Director for Science and Impacts, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions

Sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Geophysical Union (AGU), and Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES).