Holdren Speaks, Acts on Climate Change

The challenge of climate change is profound. The risks it poses are dire,” said Harvard President Drew Faust as she opened discussions during Harvard’s Presidential Panel on Climate Change on April 13 at Sanders Theatre.

John P. Holdren, President Barack Obama’s science adviser and former director of the Belfer Center’s Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, took part in the discussion along with Harvard’s Joseph Aldy, Rebecca Henderson, Daniel Schrag, and Naomi Oreskes. Christopher Field, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group II, and Duke University’s Richard Newell, also participated in the panel, which was moderated by journalist Charlie Rose.

“This is not just a problem for future generations,” Holdren said. “Climate change is causing harm now.”

The effects, he said, include increased numbers and intensity of floods, storms, and drought.  While it is too late to avoid at least some global warming, Holdren said serious actions today could have a tremendous influence on the magnitude of the effects.

He noted that the Obama administration has taken several meaningful steps to address the problem. These include the recent landmark agreement with China on greenhouse-gas reductions. Another action is the creation of the Arctic Executive Steering Committee that will coordinate federal Arctic activities and facilitate guidance to departments and agencies on this critical region. President Obama named Holdren to chair the committee.