The escalating effects of climate change are evident across our country, from the damaging 2020 western wildfire season to February’s southern deep freeze.
The need has never been greater for a national strategy that combines the long-term goal of a 100% clean energy future with immediate, science-driven actions to help all communities minimize the impacts of climate change.
The America Resilient conference will focus on the urgent need for governments, industries, and communities across the nation to plan for and adapt to climate change impacts. These impacts will be felt in the short term through disasters such as floods, hurricanes and wildfires and over the long term through the cumulative effects of changing temperatures.
Sessions will cover three areas key to climate resiliency:
* High-accuracy, high-resolution climate models that can project potential climate impacts at the regional and local level
* Data and tools to empower governments and industries to take proactive and effective steps to build resilience
* The path to ensuring that our most vulnerable communities adapt to be resilient against climate change impacts and thrive in the transition to a clean-energy society
Speakers will discuss how the nation is tapping our best scientists and institutions to fight climate change. They’ll look at the accuracy of current climate impact projections and how that data helps people respond more effectively. You’ll hear about what gets in the way of more rapid advancements in climate research and the barriers communities encounter as they implement solutions to help them prepare for extreme events and long-term threats due to a changing climate. Speakers will present case studies from governments and industries that are putting science-based resilience solutions to work today.
Featured Speakers
* U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm
* U.S. Representative Sean Casten
* Shalanda H. Baker, Deputy Director for Energy Justice, U.S. Department of Energy
* Dr. Georges Benjamin, Executive Director, American Public Health Association
* Luis Bettencourt, Director, Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation, University of Chicago
* George Crabtree, Director, Joint Center for Energy Storage Research and Senior Scientist, Argonne National Laboratory
* Katharine Hayhoe, Chief Scientist, The Nature Conservancy and Distinguished Professor and Chair, Texas Tech University
* Shannon Thomas Carroll, Director of Global Environmental Sustainability, AT&T
* Donald J. Wuebbles, Harry E. Preble Professor of Atmospheric Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign