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 Thursday, July 9, 2009 Scripps Researchers Signatories to G-8-related Open Letter on Climate Change Climate scientists Richard Somerville, Mario Molina among those calling for major reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, transition to clean energy Scripps Institution of Oceanography / University of California, San Diego Two climate researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, are among 25 leading scientists urging world leaders to acknowledge the threat of global warming and recognize an opportunity to transition to cleaner forms of energy. Richard Somerville  Mario Molina "We still have a small window of time for action, but that window will close soon," said Somerville, a distinguished professor emeritus at Scripps. "It's like giving up smoking. The time to do it is now. Don't wait until you've been diagnosed with lung cancer. Giving up smoking then won't save your life." In addition to Somerville, Mario Molina, a Nobel Prize-winning climate scientist at UCSD, joined colleagues from the United States, Australia, India, Japan and several European countries in signing the open letter. G-8 leaders announced on July 8 that they had set a goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half and to not allow average global temperatures to exceed those of preindustrial times by more than 2° C (1.6° F). "We are trying to convey the urgency of this issue," Somerville said. "The science is clear. It tells us that reducing greenhouse gas emissions has to happen very soon, and the reductions must be large and must be global. Procrastinating further just increases the odds that climate change will be unacceptably severe. Now is the time for decisive action by world leaders." # # # Note to broadcast and cable producers: University of California, San Diego provides an on-campus satellite uplink facility for live or pre-recorded television interviews. Please phone or e-mail the media contact listed above to arrange an interview. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, at University of California, San Diego, is one of the oldest, largest and most important centers for global science research and education in the world. The National Research Council has ranked Scripps first in faculty quality among oceanography programs nationwide Now in its second century of discovery, the scientific scope of the institution has grown to include biological, physical, chemical, geological, geophysical and atmospheric studies of the earth as a system. Hundreds of research programs covering a wide range of scientific areas are under way today in 65 countries. The institution has a staff of about 1,300, and annual expenditures of approximately $155 million from federal, state and private sources. Scripps operates one of the largest U.S. academic fleets with four oceanographic research ships and one research platform for worldwide exploration. |
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