Hill Heat

Over the last several days Hurricane Dean whipped through the Caribbean before slamming into the Yucatan Peninsula and the Mexican mainland. While loss of life and damages are still uncalculated, Dean will join the ranks of Andrew, Charlie, Hugo, Rita. And of course, Katrina. Their names are seared into the minds of those who lived through them. The 100+ mile an hour winds and stinging sideways rain wreaked devastation – ripping roofs off houses, flattening whole buildings, tossing around cars as if they were toys, causing billions of dollars’ worth of damage, and taking lives. Recovery often takes years. Two years after Hurricane Katrina struck land on August 29, 2005, thousands of Mississippi and New Orleans residents have yet to restore their homes, businesses or lives. And some may never do so. Hurricanes gather and release nature’s fury, and the consequences are deadly. And now the actions of humans since the dawn of the industrial age will only propel future hurricanes’ power. There is an overwhelming scientific consensus that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere released by burning coal, oil and other fossil fuels has begun to warm the planet, including our oceans, and scientists have determined that warmer sea surface temperature can boost hurricanes’ ferocity, and may even increase their frequency. It is imperative that we do everything we can to prepare for the potential disasters.

In conjunction with the release of the report, Forecast: Storm Warnings, the Center for American Progress will conduct a forum that will discuss the impact of global warming on hurricane severity and frequency. In addition, there will be a discussion of necessary federal, state, and local policies that would increase the resilience of hurricane prone communities. The forum will feature:

• Mayor Richard Crotty of Orange County, Florida
• hurricane scientist Dr. Peter J. Webster
• John B. Copenhaver of DRI International
• Jane Bullock, former chief of staff of Federal Emergency Management Agency director James Lee Witt.

The urgency of this work grows every day as thousands of Americans relocate to coastal areas, but with the best science, local mitigation, and federal support, we can minimize the likelihood that future storms join the tragic roster of the deadliest hurricanes. Unfortunately, the global warming forecast is for storm warnings ahead.

1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor Washington, DC 20005

RSVP

The 2007 Los Angeles Global Warming Forum will take place Thursday, August 16th at Cal State LA from 9:00am – 3:00pm.

Participants at the forum, which is being organized in collaboration with California State University, Los Angeles, will discuss the impacts of global warming on local resources, highlight local and regional initiatives to mitigate impacts, and discuss economic opportunities associated with taking action to improve energy efficiency. Also, exhibitors will display new energy efficiency strategies and new technologies at an expo.

On August 2nd, the House passed The Green Jobs Act of 2007, legislation introduced by Solis to invest in work force training for the green economy. The bill was passed as part of the House Democratic leadership’s energy reform bill – H.R. 3221, the New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act.

Cal State University, Los Angeles Golden Eagle Ballroom (3rd floor) 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90032

• Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (CA-32), member of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
• Former Assemblywoman Fran Pavley
• Mayor of Long Beach, Bob Foster
• Van Jones, director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

John Dingell’s second global warming town hall in Michigan’s 15th District.

University of Michigan – Dearborn Social Sciences Building 4901 Evergreen Road Dearborn, MI 48124

Chris Mooney, Author of “Storm World” and Washington, DC correspondent for Seed Magazine

Are hurricanes getting stronger, or more frequent? And what role does climate change play in the weather patterns that shape them? Join us as science journalist Chris Mooney, author of a new book on the subject, explores those questions and the scientific and political issues that surround them.

At The Front Page, 4201 Wilson Blvd, Arlington VA 22230

• 6:00-6:30 Buy your drink/meal if you so desire
• 6:30-8:00 Short presentation, followed by Q&A

Cafe Scientifique flourished first in the U.K. (see http://www.cafescientifique.org) as a way for the public and scientists to mingle and discuss science issues in an informal setting. At least 35 cafés now exist in the U.S.

ABOUT THIS CAFE: The National Science Foundation initiated Café Scientifique (Arlington) and its occasional cousin in Washington D.C. in April 2006 to make science more accessible and accountable by featuring speakers whose expertise spans the sciences and who can talk in plain English. Generally held on first Tuesdays at the Front Page in Arlington. To suggest topics or speakers, complete a survey on-site.

FIND OUR MORE: To hear about upcoming cafés sponsored by NSF, subscribe to the NSF e-mail list. Send a message to [email protected] . In the text, write “subscribe cafesci.” Don’t add a signature. (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

During a Global Warming Town Hall meeting in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, August 7, Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) will take questions regarding a carbon tax bill he intends to introduce as part of a multi-tiered approach to reducing carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions.

Under Dingell’s leadership, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce passed energy efficiency legislation that would remove from the atmosphere more than 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions (through the year 2030), which is more than the annual emissions of all cars on American roads today. The legislation is expected to pass the full House this week.

In the fall, Dingell also plans to develop a comprehensive, mandatory, economy-wide program with the goal of achieving as much as an 80 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. He is a co-sponsor of the Hill-Terry bill, HR 2927, which would mandate separate car and truck standards to meet a total fleet fuel economy standard between 32 and 35 mpg by 2022; increases up to 40 percent over current standards.

Pioneer High School Schreiber Auditorium 601 W. Stadium Blvd Ann Arbor, MI 48103

Field hearing on Reducing Barriers to growth of Emerging Energy Technologies – Relationships between Federal, State and Local Governments.

The House will consider amendments to HR 3221, the New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act, and HR 2776, the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007, in preparation for the votes on these bills.

The Committee on Rules is expected to meet Thursday, August 2, 2007 to grant a rule which may structure the amendment process for floor consideration of H.R. 2776, the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007, and H.R. 3221, the New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act.

Any Member wishing to offer an amendment to H.R. 3221 must do so by 5:00 PM on Wednesday, August 1, 2007.

At 10:30 am on Thursday, August 2, in the hearing room of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (Dirksen 406), Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and John Warner (R-VA), the Chairman and Ranking Republican, respectively, of the Senate Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection, will unveil the particulars of the agreement that they have reached on economy-wide climate legislation. This agreement synthesizes ideas contained in other climate change proposals while also incorporating new thinking. It will form the basis of a bill that the two Senators will introduce when the Senate reconvenes in September.