Nov 15, 2016
Special Election Coverage. In this episode, America Adapts is hosting James Stillwell, Program Manager for Climate Implementation at the University of Maryland, reporting from Marrakech, Morocco from the Cop22 climate change negotiations. Also, I speak with EcoAdapt’s MaryKay Gewiss and Alex Score, on next year’s big National Adaptation Forum. First, I check in with James, who’s in Morocco, following up with his role at the 2016 Paris Climate agreement (previous podcast topic). We learn what other countries are saying about the climate agreement in light of Donald Trump’s presidential election win. James seeks to provide a reality check on what happens next. We learn what it might mean if the U.S. exited the agreement; the difficulties involved with such an action; and the rest of the world’s desire to move on even if America does exit the talks. James also shares his perspective on debating noted climate skeptic, Myron Ebell (available on youtube), the man responsible for the transition at the Environmental Protection Agency. He gives his insight on what Mr. Ebell's approach might be and offers a broader perspective on potential limits to that approach. Finally, James gives his parting thoughts on what Americans can expect from the Marrakech negotiations. In a major pivot, I then talk with Alex and WendyKay about next year’s National Adaptation Forum in St. Paul, Minnesota, in May. No matter what the results of the election are, adaptation planners will continue to work and convene and share information on the best ways to adapt to the impacts of climate change. We talk about previous forums and what to expect at this forum. There are new themes and plenaries topics, looking to expand what sectors would be interested in attending the event. We share advice to federal employees who may be concerned about their ability to travel under a new administration. Also, the deadline to submit oral and poster presentations is December 16th, so please hurry if you are considering doing this. Finally, I end the podcast with an election discussion with Tim Watkins in the Adaptation and Wine Power hour, trying to find ‘silver molecules’ on what a Trump presidency might mean for the adaptation field. And stay tuned for next week's episode, as Dr. Michael Mann, legendary professor behind the ‘hockey stick’ research, and author of “ The Madhouse Effect”, comes on the podcast.
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