C. Lindsay Anderson

Associate Professor in Biological and Environmental Engineering and Faculty Director for Energy with the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability

Lindsay Anderson is a professor in environmental engineering and interim director for the Cornell Energy Systems Institute. Anderson studies the effective integration of wind and solar resources and the acceleration to a low carbon energy future. She talks about the impact of a wording change like this.

Anderson says:

“The decision to omit human-induced climate change from the federal agenda represents a significant shift in the long-standing connection between science and policy.

“The influence of human activity on recent climate patterns is supported by decades of scientific study across many disciplines and underpins planning for everything from grid reliability to public health and coastal resilience. Setting aside this foundation introduces significant risk to the national economy, making adaptation and preparedness more difficult.

“Effective risk management requires engaging with the full body of evidence so that communities, agencies, and decision-makers can plan for a future shaped by real and rising climate pressures.”

Natalie Mahowald

Irving Porter Church Professor of Engineering, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences; Reducing Climate Risk Working Group co-leader for the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability

Natalie Mahowald is a climate scientist, professor of earth and atmospheric sciences and a lead author of a landmark United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report that emphasized the need for “unprecedented” actions to control climate change and avoid a crisis by 2040.

Mahowald says:

"The recent actions by the EPA in removing the mention of fossil fuels and human-caused climate change from their website are unfortunate for efforts to fight climate change.  Human caused climate change is unequivocal: scientific studies show this fact.  The US leads the world in cumulative CO2 emissions, which are the main cause of climate change.  If the US is not acting to reduce CO2, then the world will fail to meet their climate change targets. 

 

"There are also important health benefits to cutting fossil fuel emissions, since these emissions are important for both ozone and PM2.5 levels, which harm the health of children, elderly and sick people in particular."