Climate Scientists and Lawyers
Climate Scientists and Lawyers
Contact: Cymie Payne
Faculty:
Dan Farber, John Harte, Cymie Payne, Thomas (Zack) Powell plus 18 others
Description:
The problem is that there are too few opportunities for an exchange of ideas between the policy makers and the investigators who are developing tools to assess various parameters of the impacts of a changing climate. Both scientists and policy makers will benefit from an effective dialogue that produces models and data sets that can be used in developing legislation, making decisions about business investment, land planning, and litigation – see, for example, the contribution of Inez Fung and John Harte to the “Climate Scientists’ Amicus Brief” in the current US Supreme Court case, Mass v. EPA. In the current, rapidly changing regulatory landscape, one lawyer says, “Development of indicators is a critical exercise that will itself surely be controversial within the scientific community.” The utility of this project will only grow with time.