Center News

Recent Lisa Dilling Presentations

Dilling L., 2005.  In Search of Pasteur’s Quadrant: “Use-inspired” Carbon Cycle Science, Center for Science and Technology Policy Research Symposium, February 25.

From Abstract: Since the 1970s, carbon cycle science has been justified in the United States for its potential to provide information to underpin important societal decisions.  At that time, as today, societal concern over rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations was the backdrop as scientific debates swirled around various uncertainties, including the magnitude of carbon sources and the effects of increasing CO2 on climate, humans, and Earth systems.  In 1977, the National Academy of Sciences recommended a program of research on phenomena “involved in the carbon dioxide problem” to “close gaps in knowledge, so that future decisions regarding the exploitation of energy resources can be made on as sound a basis as possible.”  Several agencies, notably the Department of Energy, began to invest significant resources in carbon cycle science.  Twenty-seven years later, resources invested in carbon cycle science have increased to over 260 million dollars a year.  Research carried out within the program is generally considered “basic science”, on topics such as ocean circulation, terrestrial carbon exchange, atmospheric gas monitoring, modeling, vegetation dynamics, and so on.  With the introduction in 2002 of the North American Carbon Program, the goal of serving the needs of decision makers with this research was reaffirmed.  Indeed, the NACP was a leading component of the President’s U.S. Climate Change Research Initiative, which “represents a focusing of resources and attention on those elements of the USGCRP that can best support improved public debate and decision-making in the near term.”  Numerous studies have pointed out, however, that research justified by its usefulness to society, but divorced from users in practice, has difficulty effectively supporting decision-making.  The carbon cycle science program to date does not have a component focused on understanding how research can support decision-making, and thus risks replicating the failed model of many other climate-related research programs of the past few decades.  Here we present the alternative model of “use-inspired basic research,” or “Pasteur’s Quadrant,” and suggest new research paths are necessary to understand precisely what needs exist, and how information on the North American carbon balance or other aspects of the carbon program will meet them. 

Other Dilling Presentations

Dilling L., 2005.  Toward carbon governance: Challenges for science and policy across scales, Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, April.

Dilling, L., 2005.  Overview of SOCCR Mandate and Process, 1st SOCCR Authors workshop, Atlanta, GA May.

Moser, S. (Given by Dilling, L), 2005.  North to the Future: Communicating to and from the Arctic Front Lines of Climate Change, Arctic Research Council of the United States: 2005 Arctic Forum.

Dilling, L. 2005.  Carbon and Climate: Challenges and Opportunities, Cherry Creek Challenge School Invited Speaker, June 3.

Dilling, L., 2005.  Introduction, challenge, and charge to the workshop, “Decision Support and Carbon Cycle Science”,  University of Colorado, June 13-14.

Dilling, L., 2005.  Invited Presentation: “Usable Carbon Cycle Science: Exploring the nexus of carbon cycle science and management at different scales”, International Postdoctoral Scientist Network for Earth Systems Science, Breckenridge, CO, June 23-25.

Recent Roger Pielke Presentations

Pielke, Jr., R. A. 2005.  Climate Change and Disaster Trends: What are the facts?, Reinsurance Association of America’s Current Events Forum, Philadelphia, PA, 26 May.

Pielke, Jr., R. A. 2005.  Beyond Global Warming: Yes or No? Some New Story Ideas on Climate Change, Scripps Institute on the Environment, Center for Environmental Journalism, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 19 May.

Pielke, Jr., R. A. 2005. Decisions as a Focus of a Philosophy of Science Policy, Workshop on Philosophy of Science Policy, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK, 5-6 May.

Pielke, Jr., R. A. 2005.  The IPCC: Honest Broker or Political Advocate? Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, 3 May.

Pielke, Jr., R. A. 2005.  Climate Change and Disasters, Department of Earth System Science, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, 15 April.

Pielke, Jr., R. A. 2005.  Dealing With Scientific Uncertainties in Policy Making, Forum on Science Policy and Ethics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 8 April.

Pielke, Jr., R. A. 2005.  A Perspective on the Politicization of Science, Forum on Science Policy and Ethics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 7 April.

Pielke, Jr., R. A. 2005. Science Policies and Hurricanes, National Research Council Disasters Roundtable, National Research Council, Washington, DC, 8 March.

Pielke, Jr., R. A. 2005. Beyond Kyot A Third Way on Climate Change, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 7 March.

Prometheus

The Center’s weblog, Prometheus, has received a good deal of attention since its debut in April of 2004.  It has been described as an “excellent science web log” by a UPI reporter; a blog writer urges his readers to “blow off [his blog] and read Prometheus, at least for science policy, especially climate related policy;” and yet another blogger writes “Roger Pielke demonstrates again why the Prometheus blog is must reading for those interested in the intersection of science and public policy. I don't always agree with Pielke, but he's very thoughtful, insightful and provocative.”  Recent topics include the following:

• Hiding Behind the Science of Stem Cells (May 25)
• The Linear Model of Science in Climate Policy (May 24)
• Is the “Hockey Stick” Debate Relevant to Policy? (May 17)
• Immigration and Climate Change (May 9)
• Leadership in Space (May 2)