image: Michigan State University researcher Thomas Dietz, who will help lead a two-year climate change study commissioned by the US Congress. view more
Credit: Kurt Stepnitz, Michigan State University
EAST LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan State University scientist will help lead a climate-change study charged with advising the next U.S. Congress on environmental policy.
Supported by mounting evidence – and a more sympathetic U.S. administration – the national global warming debate is expected to quickly shift toward action, according to Thomas Dietz, director of MSU's Environmental Science and Policy Program. The National Academy of Sciences appointed Dietz to the leadership committee for the $6 million America's Climate Choices study, which gets under way Tuesday.
"There is a lot being done around campus on climate change, and this is a huge validation of that," said Dietz, who is MSU's assistant vice president for environmental research and a professor of sociology and crop and soil sciences.
The committee was formed by the prestigious NAS to spearhead the two-year study, coordinated by its National Research Council. Some committee members also will lead the study's research panels. The study will assess short-term actions and long-term strategies for mitigating climate change and adapting to it, identifying necessary scientific and technical advances and flagging barriers.
Dietz already chairs the NRC's Panel on Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision Making. His current research focuses on the human forces that drive environmental change and the interplay between science and democracy in environmental issues.
"Dr. Dietz is an exceptional choice to lead this important study on climate change," MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said. "His work, along with that of many other researchers at MSU, has added great value to the national discussions about environmental policy for many years. Tom's selection to this committee recognizes his and MSU's commitment to developing sustainable solutions to address the causes and effect of global warming."
The national climate-change study will draw from past and current NRC studies, input from outside experts and stakeholders and a national summit March 30-April 1, 2009.
A leader in climate study, MSU applies a unique interdisciplinary, modular model, Dietz said. Specialists downscale global climate models for in-depth study of local conditions and collaborate with others researching climatic impacts on systems such as agriculture and recreation. Input from stakeholders, such as farmers, is included throughout the process while other researchers contribute knowledge on effective environmental decision-making.
"MSU is also developing an integrated approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by analyzing the joint potential of efficiency, wind and biofuels to provide Michigan's energy needs," Dietz said.
The MSU ESPP will host its third annual climate change symposium April 14-15, 2009, with a scope now broadened beyond the Great Lakes region. The 2008 conference produced a set of conclusions and recommendations accessible at www.environment.msu.edu/climatechange/2008/CC-key_messages.pdf.
The MSU Environmental Science and Policy Program is online at www.environment.msu.edu. To learn more about MSU's climate-change study programs, go to climatechange.msu.edu. For more information on the NRC climate-change study, click to americasclimatechoices.org/.To hear a podcast with Dietz, go to http://spartanpodcast.com/?p=478.
Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.