EXPERTS ADVISORY

The U.S. and China—the world’s No. 1 and No. 2 biggest polluters—on Wednesday announced a landmark agreement to reduce carbon emissions. There is hope the deal will inspire other countries to make more cuts in their own greenhouse gases.

Professors at the University of Michigan can discuss the environmental, political, economic and social dimensions of the agreement. They are:

Barry Rabe, a professor at the Ford School of Public Policy, can address the domestic politics and policy of the agreement in the U.S. and, to a lesser degree, China. He can also discuss evolving U.S. levels of support for various climate policies. Rabe was the first social scientist to receive a Climate Protection Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2006. Contact: 734-765-1677, brabe@umich.edu. Bio: http://bit.ly/11hO0iP

Mary Gallagher, a political scientist and director of the Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies, can discuss U.S.-China relations and Beijing’s possible motivations for agreeing to the deal. She can also talk about the huge amount of attention middle-class Chinese are paying to problems of air pollution, environmental degradation, food pollution and standards. Contact: 734-615-9154, metg@umich.edu. Bio: http://bit.ly/1wQCm7N

Ricky Rood, professor of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences, can talk about how the agreement relates to previous public commitments. He can also address its relation to China’s aggressive investments in alternative energy, the rationality of meeting the goal and the political-versus-technological challenges. Contact: 734-647-3530 or 301-526-8572, rbrood@umich.edu. Bio: http://bit.ly/1GP50wJ

Rood says, “It’s very important for the leading emitters of carbon dioxide to take the political steps required to start a reduction of emissions. Are these commitments large enough so that global warming and its consequences will be avoided? No. They are an important step in the right direction.”

Andrew Hoffman,director of the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, can talk about climate change as a market shift and the strategies that companies use to adjust to a carbon-constrained world. He can also field questions about the social debate over climate change, why people reject the scientific consensus and how to communicate and frame the issue for public and political audiences. Hoffman is the Holcim Professor of Sustainable Enterprise, a position with joint appointments at the Ross School of Business and School of Natural Resources and Environment. He can be reached at 734-763-9455, ajhoff@umich.edu. Bio: http://bit.ly/11hOfds

“This is a historic agreement, as it brings China more centrally into global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is important because China is a major emitter, and it’s important politically because China’s non-participation has been a major excuse for non-action in the United States. But meeting his pledges will pose significant challenges for Obama with a Congress that has shown very little willingness to engage on this issue. In addition, this agreement signals some important shifts in the market over energy and the specific sectors that consume fossil fuels for energy or as a feedstock.”

Joyce Penner, professor of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences, can discuss the effects of aerosols and clouds on climate and how scientists’ views of their impacts are changing. Contact: 734-936-0119, penner@umich.edu. Bio: http://bit.ly/1wlUHrC

Rosina Bierbaum, a professor at the School of Natural Resources and Environment and at the School of Public Health, is an expert on environmental policy, sustainable development and climate change adaptation. The former SNRE dean serves on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and chairs the Science and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility. She was a review editor for the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and a lead convening author of the climate adaptation chapter in the latest U.S. National Climate Assessment. Contact: 734-763-8675, rbierbau@umich.edu. Bio: http://bit.ly/10W4ufb

“The rate of growth in greenhouse gases is alarming, and this joint announcement of action from China and the United States is central to confronting climate change,” she says. “These two greatest emitters of greenhouse gases are united in sending a powerful signal that getting agreement on a climate treaty in Paris in 2015—and rapidly decreasing global emissions—is an urgent issue for humanity. If we are to leave the next generations a sustainable planet, there is not a moment to lose.”

Note: U-M has a studio with satellite uplink capabilities for TV and an ISDN line for radio.