Greenland's Shrinking Ice Sheet: Images, Measurements, and Implications
Many of the consequences of climate change such as warmer winters and shifting rainfall patterns are becoming increasingly apparent here in the United States, but it is in remote reaches of the planet that some of the most rapid and potentially catastrophic changes are occurring. Millions of cubic kilometers of water are locked up in Greenland’s ice sheet, and the data indicate that it is melting at an unexpectedly rapid rate. Substantial melting of Greenland’s glaciers would cause significant sea level rise, affecting the cities and populations that are concentrated near the coast. This briefing will highlight efforts to study changes in the Greenland ice sheet, capture both its beauty and demise and explore the consequences for U.S. citizens as well as people around the globe.
Moderator- Brendan Kelly, Arctic Natural Sciences Program, National Science Foundation
- James Balog, Extreme Ice Survey
- Robert Bindschadler, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Konrad Steffen, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder
- James E. Neumann, Industrial Economics, Incorporated
Limited Space Available
RSVP by Wednesday, September 3 to science_congress@acs.org or 202/872-4556. Please provide name, affiliation, phone number, and e-mail address.
Strengthening the Ability of Public Transportation to Reduce Our Dependence on Foreign Oil
- Mr. William Millar, President, American Public Transportation Association
- Andy Darrell, Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund
- Dorothy Dugger, General Manager, Red Rose Transit Authority
- Keith Parker, Chief Executive Officer, Charlotte Area Transit System
- Dave Kilmer, General Manager, Red Rose Transit Authority
- Robert Puentes, Fellow, Brookings Institution
The Future of Environmentalism
With energy and environmentalism weighting heavily on the minds of all Americans, The New Republic will be hosting a two-part discussion series at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. This series will allow convention attendees a rare opportunity to engage with policy leaders and key innovators at the forefront of the energy and environmental debate. The series is open to all convention attendees and within walking distance to the Denver Convention Center and surrounding hotels.
- Carl Pope, Executive Director, The Sierra Club
- Representative George Miller (D-CA)
- Representative Ed Markey (D-MA)
- Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
- Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE)
- Matt Bennett, Vice President for Public Affairs, Third Way
- Brian F. Keane, President, SmartPower
- Ted Nordhaus, Chairman, The Breakthrough Institute; Co-author, Break Through
- Cass R. Sunstein, Harvard University Law Professor and Author, Risk and Reason: Safety, Law, and the Environment
- Franklin Foer, Editor of The New Republic, moderator
Tattered Cover Book Store, 16th & Wynkoop, Denver
The Future of Environmentalism 1
With energy and environmentalism weighting heavily on the minds of all Americans, The New Republic will be hosting a two-part discussion series at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. This series will allow convention attendees a rare opportunity to engage with policy leaders and key innovators at the forefront of the energy and environmental debate. The series is open to all convention attendees and within walking distance to the Denver Convention Center and surrounding hotels.
- Carl Pope, Executive Director, The Sierra Club
- Representative George Miller (D-CA)
- Representative Ed Markey (D-MA)
- Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
- Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE)
- Matt Bennett, Vice President for Public Affairs, Third Way
- Brian F. Keane, President, SmartPower
- Ted Nordhaus, Chairman, The Breakthrough Institute; Co-author, Break Through
- Cass R. Sunstein, Harvard University Law Professor and Author, Risk and Reason: Safety, Law, and the Environment
- Franklin Foer, Editor of The New Republic, moderator
Tattered Cover Book Store, 16th & Wynkoop, Denver
Energy and Climate Change Roundtable: The New Energy Economy
Facilitator: Vijay Vaitheeswaran
Introduction: The Government’s Role in the New Energy Economy- Sen. Jeff Bingaman
- Rep. Earl Blumenauer
- Rep. Ed Markey
- Gavin Newsom
- Greg Nickels
- Federico Peña
- Gov. Bill Ritter Jr.
- Sen. Ken Salazar
- Dan Arvizu
- Mark Falcone
- Van Jones
- Carl Pope
- Jon Ratner
- Rhone Resch
- Heather Stephenson
Space Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver, CO
Energy and Climate Change Roundtable: Sir Nicholas Stern Keynote
Sir Nicholas Stern delivers the Climate Change Roundtable keynote.
Space Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver, CO
Energy and Climate Change Roundtable: Energy in a Carbon-Constrained Economy
Moderator: Ray Suarez
Introduction: Three Carbon Sources- Robert A. Hefner III
- Dick Kelly
- Steven Leer
- Andrew Liveris
- Fred Palmer
- William S. Becker
- Carol Browner
- Jerome Ringo
- Tim Wirth
- D. James Baker
- Rep. Richard Gephardt
- Kevin Knobloch
- David Lester
- Sen. Claire McCaskill
- Michael Northrop
- Randy Udall
Space Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver, CO
Energy and Climate Change Roundtable: The Business of Climate Change
Moderator: Rick Stengel
Introduction: Practical Examples of the Business Impact
- Dan Hendrix
- Mike Kaplan
- Dr. Jeff Kenna
- Rose McKinney James
- Dan Reicher
- Frances Beinecke
- Leo Gerard
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar
- Ira Magaziner
- Navin Nayak
- John Podesta
- Dan Sperling
Space Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver, CO
Global Warming’s Impact on Narragansett Bay
From rising water levels to increasing water temperatures and changing fish populations, global warming’s impact on Narragansett Bay is measureable, growing, and in need of urgent action. To raise Rhode Islanders’ awareness of the effects of climate change on the Bay, our coastal areas, and our communities, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) will chair a field briefing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) at the University of Rhode Island’s Bay Campus to discuss the implications of global warming for Narragansett Bay.
“Left unchecked, climate change will affect every community in every nation on earth, altering our Ocean State – and the entire world – in ways we are only beginning to understand, and coastal communities will be among those at greatest risk,” said Whitehouse. “This issue is real, time is of the essence, and action is called for.”
EnergyPlus and SketchUp – Integrating Building Energy Performance into Design
EnergyPlus—DOE’s building energy simulation program—includes many building energy-simulation features that previously have not been available together in a mainstream program. Features include variable time steps, configurable modular systems integrated with a heat balance-based zone simulation, on-site power, hybrid natural/mechanical ventilation, and under-floor air distribution (UFAD). The underlying heat balance load calculation method is included in the 2005 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Fundamentals. In 2007, DOE began working on a plug-in for Google’s SketchUp software, which Google describes as “3-D for everyone.” SketchUp is used by a majority of architects during early design to facilitate studies of shape and massing. The Energy Design Plug-In integrates EnergyPlus with SketchUp, allowing easy evaluation of building energy performance. This presentation, by Drury Crawley of EERE, introduces EnergyPlus and its simulation methodologies, capabilities, utilities, and interfaces that facilitate using it.
Drury B. Crawley is acting team leader for the Commercial Buildings area of DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. He leads DOE’s team that is working to achieve net-zero energy commercial buildings by 2025. He also is responsible for managing DOE’s building energy software tools research and development activities including EnergyPlus, Energy Design Plug-In, and DOE-2, among others. He has more than 30 years of experience in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability for buildings; and is active in ASHRAE, the U.S. Green Building Council, and the American Institute of Architects. He serves on the editorial boards of three international journals, has published more than 100 papers and articles, and has given more than 175 presentations throughout the world.
901 D Street SW (adjacent to the Forrestal Building) or 370 L’Enfant Promenade. Ninth Floor. Please contact Wanda Addison, of Midwest Research Institute (MRI), at wanda_addison@nrel.gov or 202-488-2202