This award to The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) will support the 14th National Conference and Global Forum on Science, Policy and the Environment on Building Climate Solutions January 28-30, 2014 in Crystal City, VA. The conference will advance strategies for how science can support decision-making related to climate change and the built environment, agriculture and natural resources. Topics will include mitigation solutions to minimize the consequences of climate change and adaptation solutions for those consequences that cannot be avoided. Over 1,200 participants from higher education institutions, government, civil society organizations, research and policy organizations, business, international organizations are coming together to work across traditional boundaries to connect science to decision-making. The conference will emphasize putting ideas into action by creating opportunities for participating scientists to share the results of their research and receive feedback on how they can more effectively advance knowledge that supports decision-making. These interactions will strengthen the connection between science and societal needs and achieves impact by engaging partnering organizations who will connect science to decision-making through specific new and ongoing initiatives, to be implemented and carried forward following the conference. The conference program will feature 11 keynote addresses, 7 plenary sessions, 30 symposia and 24 interactive breakout workshops. Over 200 distinguished thought leaders, scientists, government officials; policy experts and international authorities will speak over the course of the three-day event.
. The conference was held on January 28-30, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City near the Washington, DC National Airport. The conference engaged over 970 key individuals from a variety of fields, including natural and social sciences, humanities and engineering and government and policy, as well as business and civil society. Conference participants worked together to develop actionable partnerships, strategies and tactics that advanced solutions minimizing the impacts of anthropogenic climate change. The conference was organized around the two major areas where climate actions are necessary: [1] The Built Environment, and [2] Agriculture and Natural Resources. This "multi-sector approach" of the conference enables participants to work across traditional boundaries of discipline, science, policy and application by engaging a diverse team of scientists, public- and private-sector program managers, and policy-makers. Over the two and a half day event, over 200 speakers presented in 8 keynote addresses,7 plenary roundtable discussions, 30 symposia and 23 workshops. Keynote speakers included Richard Alley, Evans Pugh Professor of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University; Kathryn Sullivan, Acting Administrator, NOAA; Jack Sinclair, Executive Vice President, Grocery Division, Walmart; James E. Hansen, Adjunct Professor, The Earth Institute, Columbia University; Rt. Honorable John Gummer, Lord Deben, Chair, Climate Change Committee, UK; Gina McCarthy, Administrator, US EPA; and Marie-Helene Aubert, Adviser to the President of France on International Negotiations on Climate and Environment. Funds from NSF helped to support travel for individuals who brought important perspectives that diversified and expanded the discussions at the conference. By bringing together experts in climate science, mitigation, adaptation, and other users of science, the conference was able to increase the broader impacts of the Nations’ investment in fundamental science. The goal of the breakout workshops was to generate additional action through development of improved strategies, tools, and partnerships. During the workshops, participants developed actionable outcomes, committed to further collaboration and implementation, and outlined follow-up activities for post-conference. Collectively, the recommendations developed science-based outcomes to address the issues of climate change. A list of the collective recommendations from the workshop follows this summary. The recommendations have been disseminated nationally and continue to be available on the conference website (www.buildingclimatesolutions.org) and in print. Many organizations extended their scientific communication with exhibitions, including: the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA); the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); the U.S. Forest Service; Esri; Sky Truth; the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); Public Lab; the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); EcoAdapt; the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); Azavea; the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); WebsEdge; American Meteorological Society (AMS); Environmental Law Institute; Island Press; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and the Diesel Technology Forum. Also, there were seventy four posters presenting scientific research related to the built environment, agriculture, and natural resources; many from junior faculty and graduate students.
