Jim Spencer and David Yeomans addressed the scientific evidence presented to Texas Governor Greg Abbott Tuesday. Abbott recently said, he wasn’t clear about the climate change issue because he wasn’t a scientist.
Click on the video above for the full report. Below, see the letter presented to Governor Abbott and to Jon Niermann, Chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
This topic sparked a considerable Facebook discussion after Jim posted a viewer’s skeptical email. See it, and/or comment here: https://www.facebook.com/jimspencerKXAN/
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January 8th, 2019
The Honorable Greg Abbott
Governor of State of Texas
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78711
Cc: Jon Niermann, Chairman, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Dear Governor Abbott,
At a press conference last month to discuss a new report on the impacts of Hurricane Harvey, a reporter asked you whether man-made climate change has played a role in Texas’ weather disasters. You replied that it would be impossible for you to say, as you are not a scientist.
We, the undersigned, are climate scientists and experts, and can report to you that climate change is happening, it is primarily caused by humans, and it is having a devastating impact on Texas, including increasing deadly flooding resulting from Hurricane Harvey.
Furthermore, the recently released National Climate Assessment, put together by more than a dozen federal agencies and more than 300 scientists found that, left unchecked, climate change will have dangerous results for the Southern Great Plains, which includes Texas. The report finds:
Annual average temperatures will increase by 3.6°–5.1°F by the mid-21st century and by 4.4°–8.4°F by the late 21st century
An additional 30–60 days per year above 100°F than we currently experience
Higher temperatures could result in an additional 1,300 deaths per year by the end of the century
Extreme heat will pose health risks to outdoor agricultural workers, with some communities “projected to lose more than 6% in annual labor hours by the end of the century”
Sea level rise along the western Gulf of Mexico “is likely to be greater than the projected global average of 1–4 feet or more. Such a change, along with the related retreat of the Gulf coastline, will exacerbate risks and impacts from storm surges.”
Up to $20.9 billion in coastal property is projected to be flooded at high tide by 2030
The Edwards Aquifer will suffer from “a decrease of water supply during droughts, a degradation of habitat for species of concern, economic effects, and the interconnectivity of these impacts.”
We can take actions now to help us adapt to the impacts of climate change. And, as one of the biggest wind energy producers in the U.S., we can also play a key role in reducing the emissions that will drive future changes in the climate. The only thing missing is leadership.
We therefore request the opportunity to brief you on the climate science and the need for the State of Texas to take immediate action to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change.
Sincerely,
Andrew Dessler, Ph.D.
Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
Reta A. Haynes Chair in Geosciences
Texas A&M University
Daniel Cohan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering
Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Rice University
Charles Jackson, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Institute for Geophysics
The University of Texas at Austin
Kerry H. Cook, Ph.D.
Professor, Jackson School of Geosciences
Dept. of Geological Sciences
The University of Texas at Austin
Richard M. Mitterer, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Geosciences
University of Texas at Dallas
Gerald North, Ph.D.
Research Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
University Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Texas A&M University
Joshua W. Busby, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Public Affairs
Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs
The University of Texas at Austin
Sylvia Dee, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences
Rice University
Dr. John B. Anderson, Ph.D.
Maurice Ewing Professor of Oceanography Emeritus
Rice University
Yangyang Xu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
Texas A&M University
Laurence Yeung, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Rice University
Robert A. Dull, Ph.D.
Senior Research Fellow
Environmental Science Institute
The University of Texas at Austin
Rasika M. Harshey, Ph.D.
Professor of Molecular Biosciences
The University of Texas at Austin
Hongjie Xie, Ph.D.
Professor
Dept. of Geological Sciences
University of Texas at San Antonio
Gunnar W. Schade, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
Texas A&M University
Caroline Masiello, Ph.D.
Professor, Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences
Rice University
Francisco L. Pérez, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus and Soils Lab Director Emeritus
Dept. of Geography and the Environment
The University of Texas at Austin
Stephen F. Ackley
Associate Professor of Research
Dept. of Geological Sciences
University of Texas at San Antonio
Sylvia G. Dee, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences
Rice University
Ian Dalziel, Ph.D., D.Sc.
Professor, Jackson School of Geosciences
Institute for Geophysics
The University of Texas at Austin
Yuko M. Okumura, Ph.D.
Research Scientist, Jackson School of Geosciences
Institute for Geophysics
University of Texas at Austin
Courtney Schumacher, Ph.D.
Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
E. D. Brockett Professorship in Geosciences
Texas A&M University
Kara Kockelman, Ph.D.
Dewitt Greer Centennial Professor of Transportation Engineering
Dept. of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin
Mark Torres, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Earth, Environmental, & Planetary Sciences
Rice University
Emily Northrop, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
Dept. of Economics and Business
Southwestern University
Joshua Long, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
Southwestern University
William Quinn, Ph.D.
Professor, Dept. of Biological Sciences
St. Edward’s University
