ARCUS Federal Advocacy | 2008 Congressional Briefing

2008 Congressional Briefing - Responding to Arctic Change (1 MB - PDF)

13 May 2008—Congressional Briefing: "Socioeconomic Tipping Points: Policy Implications of Arctic Climate Change"

Recent media, policy, and public attention have focused on the potential impacts of climate change in the Arctic and around the globe. The increasing pace and scale of observed environmental changes may represent "tipping points"—new, unknown, and potentially irreversible vanguards of arctic and global change. As we enter into the final stages of the International Polar Year 2007–2008 (IPY), the scientific and policy communities are presented with an unprecedented opportunity to build on the wealth of data collected in the IPY to produce transformative advances in our understanding of climate change and to formulate appropriate policy and scientific responses—thus ensuring a successful national IPY legacy that addresses critical stakeholder issues.

This briefing assisted Congress in understanding the current state of scientific research on climate change and tipping points, with the intent to provide a basis for navigating research findings and media headlines to inform decision-making and policy. Leading scientists discussed climate change implications such as infrastructure damage, food security, transportation, coastal erosion, national security, and the economic benefits of mitigating change.

Joshua Schimel, from the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at the University of California Santa Barbara, moderated the briefing, which featured:

Martin Miles, from the Environmental Systems Analysis Research Center, speaking on changes in arctic sea ice and probable trajectories
Maribeth Murray, from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, speaking on the human dimensions of arctic change
Craig Fleener, from the Gwich'in Council International, speaking about opportunities and costs to local communities

Location:

U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation Hearing Room
253 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC

2008 Congressional Briefing (80K - PDF)

For further information, please contact:
Alysa J.K. Loring
ARCUS Project Coordinator
Phone: 907-474-1600
alysa@arcus.org

38 participants attended the briefing.

Vera Alexander School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (SFOS) University of Alaska Fairbanks PO Box 757220 Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220 Phone: 907-474-5071 Fax: 907-474-7386 vera@sfos.uaf.edu	Beth Bacon Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation 508 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-5115 elizabeth_Bacon@commerce.senate.gov
Sarah A. Behr Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) 3535 College Road, Suite 101 Fairbanks, AK 99709-3710 Phone: 907-457-3118 behrsarah@hotmail.com	Ross A. Coen Professional Staff for Climate Change U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation 277 Hart Senate Office Building Washington , DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-7673 Fax: 202-224-9334 Ross_Coen@commerce.senate.gov
Craig L. Fleener 5933 Debarr Road, Apt. 307 Anchorage, AK 99504 Phone: 210-788-0656 (cell) chizhur@gmail.com	Betsy Forbes 174 East 74th Street New York, NY 10021 Phone: 212-585-1381 bforbes@nyc.rr.com
Bruce Forbes Arctic Centre University of Lapland PO Box 122 Rovaniemi, FIN-96101 Finland Phone: +358-16341-2710 Fax: +358-16341-2777 bforbes@ulapland.fi	Wallace Forbes Forbes Magazine 60 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10011 Phone: 212-620-2312 wforbes@forbes.com
Casey Fromson Office of Senator Murray United States Senate 173 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-2621 Fax: 202-224-0238 casey_fromson@murray.senate.gov	Arne Fuglvog Fisheries, Transportation, and Natural Resources Office of Senator Lisa Murkowski, United States Senate 709 Hart Senate Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-6665 Fax: 202-224-5301 arne_fuglvog@murkowski.senate.gov
Waliul Hasanat Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law University of Lapland Arctic Centre PO Box 122 Rovaniemi, 96101 Finland Phone: +358 16 341 2595 Fax: +358 16-341-2777 waliul.hasanat@ulapland.fi	Amy Haskell Office of the Chief Counsel House Committee on Natural Resources 1324 Longworth Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202-225-6065 Fax: 202-225-1931 amy.haskell@mail.house.gov
Julie Hrdlicka Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation 508 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washingtion, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-5115 julie_Hrdlicka@commerce.senate.gov	Paula Kankaanpää Arctic Centre University of Lapland PO Box 122 Rovaniemi, FIN-96101 Finland Phone: +358-40-7777-825 Fax: +358-16-341-2777 paula.kankaanpaa@ulapland.fi
John D. Kelly Center for Geospace Studies SRI International Ionospheric and Space Physics Group 333 Ravenswood Avenue Menlo Park, CA 94025 Phone: 650-859-3749 Fax: 650-322-2318 kelly@sri.com	Leslie A. King Office of the Vice President Academic Malaspina University Building 300, Room 103 Nanaimo, BC V9R 5S5 Canada Phone: 250-740-6104 king@mala.ca
David R. Klein Institute of Arctic Biology University of Alaska Fairbanks PO Box 757020 Fairbanks, AK 99775-7020 Phone: 907-474-6674 Fax: 907-474-6967 ffdrk@uaf.edu	Jack Kruse Institute of Social and Economic Research University of Alaska Anchorage 117 North Leverett Road Leverett, MA 01054 Phone: 413-367-2240 Fax: 413-367-0092 afjak@uaa.alaska.edu
Timo Kumpula Department of Geography University of Joensuu PO Box 111 Joensuu, FI-80101 Finland Phone: +358-13-251-4563 timo.kumpula@joensuu.fi	Katrina Lassiter Office of Senator Murray, United States Senate 173 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-2621 Fax: 202-224-0238 Katrina_Lassiter@murray.senate.gov
Alysa J.K. Loring Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) 3535 College Road Suite 101 Fairbanks, AK 99709-3710 Phone: 907-474-1600 Fax: 907-474-1604 alysa@arcus.org	William F. Manley Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) University of Colorado Boulder 450 UCB Boulder, CO 80309-0450 Phone: 303-735-1300 Fax: 303-492-6388 william.manley@colorado.edu
Amanda McCarty Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation 508 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-5115 Amada_Mccarty@commerce.senate.gov	Martin W. Miles Environmental Systems Analysis Research Center 4450 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite 100 Boulder, CO 80303 Phone: 303-415-2521 Fax: 303-415-2500 martin.miles@esarc-colorado.org
Peter J. Minnett Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science University of Miami 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway Miami, FL 33149-1098 Phone: 305-421-4104 Fax: 305-421-4622 pminnett@rsmas.miami.edu	Maribeth Murray Department of Anthropology University of Alaska Fairbanks PO Box 757720 Fairbanks, AK 99775-7720 Phone: 907-474-6751 Fax: 907-474-7453 ffmsm@uaf.edu
Astrid E.J. Ogilvie Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research University of Colorado Campus Box 450 1560 30th Street Boulder, CO 80303-0450 Phone: 303-492-6072 Fax: 303-492-6388 Astrid.Ogilvie@colorado.edu	B. Zeb Polly Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) 3535 College Road Suite 101 Fairbanks, AK 99709-3710 Phone: 907-474-1600 Fax: 907-474-1604 zeb@arcus.org
Rachel Radell Office of Senator Feinstein, United States Senate 331 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-3841 Fax: 202-228-3954 rachel_radell@feinstein.senate.gov	Michael J. Retelle Department of Geology Bates College 44 Campus Avenue Carnegie Science Center Lewiston, ME 04240-6084 Phone: 207-786-6155 Fax: 207-786-8334 mretelle@bates.edu
Ethan H. Roth Marine Physics Laboratory University of California, San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography MC 0205 9500 Gilman Drive La Jolla, CA 92092 Phone: 858-822-1836 ehroth@ucsd.edu	Kris Sarri Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation 508 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-6125 Phone: 202-224-5115 kris_sarri@commerce.senate.gov
Rune Storvold Earth Observation Group NORUT Information Technology Ltd PO Box 6434 - Tromso Research Park Tromsø, 9294 Norway Phone: + 47 77 62 94 37 Fax: + 47 77 62 94 01 Rune.Storvold@itek.norut.no	Craig E. Tweedie Department of Biology and the Environmental Science and Engineering Program University of Texas at El Paso 500 West University Avenue Biology Building Room 226 El Paso, TX 79968-0513 Phone: 915-747-8448 Fax: 915-747-5808 ctweedie@utep.edu
Wendy K. Warnick Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) 3535 College Road Suite 101 Fairbanks, AK 99709-3710 Phone: 907-474-1600 Fax: 907-474-1604 warnick@arcus.org	Helen V. Wiggins Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) 3535 College Road Suite 101 Fairbanks, AK 99709-3710 Phone: 907-474-1600 Fax: 907-474-1604 helen@arcus.org
Bernard D. Zak Environmental Characterization and Monitoring Systems Department Sandia National Laboratories MS 0755 PO Box 5800 Albuquerque, NM 87185-0755 Phone: 505-845-8631 Fax: 505-844-0116 bdzak@sandia.gov	Ann Zulkosky Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 508 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-6125 Phone: 202-224-5115 Ann_Zulkosky@commerce.senate.gov