This week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a report detailing rising temperatures and increased melting in the Arctic Ocean. Ice older than four years now makes up less than one percent of the Arctic ice pack, according to the 2018 Arctic Report Card.
Sherburne Abbott served as a deputy to President Obama’s science advisor in the Senate-confirmed position of Associate Director of Environment and Energy (head of the division of environment and energy) in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during President Obama’s first term.
She is currently University Professor and program director for the Environmental, Sustainability and Policy integrated learning major at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School.
Abbott says:
“The most alarming thing about the latest NOAA report on Arctic warming is that, because of politics, it is unlikely to sound the alarm. Future generations, geopolitics, environmental justice for native peoples, species and ecosystems are all at risk in the warming Arctic. And the solutions to reducing the risks are obvious to everyone except the U.S. President and most of his administration.
“Instead of aggressive efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels to protect the planet and people, they are asking the residents and ecosystems of the Arctic to adapt or suffer, while they willfully push for more drilling and more burning.
“This means communities and species will have to move inland (if they can) as the warming endures and ships will sail ice-free waters that are still hazardous.”
To request interviews or get more information:
Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Marketing and Communications
T 315.443.1184 M 315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu | @DarylLovell
820 Comstock Avenue, Suite 308, Syracuse, NY 13244
news.syr.edu | syracuse.edu
Syracuse University
MATS and Mercury in Context Coal-fired power plants are the largest source of mercury in the U.S., accounting for approximately 48% of mercury emissions in 20151. The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) were finalized in 2012 to regulate emissions…
Just a few weeks ago, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it was pulling 12 products off the market that contained pesticides that were harmful to the honeybee. This week, the agency made an emergency exception for nearly a dozen states…
A portion of the fiscal 2020 Agriculture spending bill continues a ban on research that involves gene-editing of human embryos. The field of genetic modification garnered international attention after a Chinese scientist announced last fall that he had created the…
Next week, China is expected to raise tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S. goods and products, following Pres. Trump’s decision to raise duties on Chinese goods. Which sectors of the retail industry are likely to feel the pinch the…
Syracuse University School of Architecture Dean Michael Speaks offers his thoughts on the passing of I.M. Pei at the age of 102. I.M. Pei was one of the most important architects of the second half of the Twentieth Century….
If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.
