Most climate scientists agree that carbon dioxide, which is released into the atmosphere following the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum, is the primary long-lived greenhouse gas responsible for climate change. The increasing effects of climate change have become obvious in recent years and their growing impacts pose greater threats for future generations. In a major September 10, 2018 speech on climate change United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stated: “If we do not change course by 2020, we risk missing the point where we can avoid runaway climate change, with disastrous consequences for people and all the natural systems that sustain us.” This seminar series will cover what climate change means for the American people and steps being taken to confront it. Highly qualified experts will present the three seminars.

The Science of Climate Change and What it Means for the American People:

Don Wuebbles, The Harry E. Preble Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois Coordinating Lead Author for the international Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment of climate change published in 2013; Co-leader of the 4th U.S. National Climate Assessment published in 2017.

The climate on our planet is changing rapidly. Changes include increasing temperatures, melting glaciers, shrinking sea ice, and rising sea levels. Extreme events are more frequent, intense, or of longe expected to increase or worsen over this century and beyond. This presentation provides an overview of the science of climate change, and what it means to the American people and our planet.