Fall 2009
Interview
Our New Scientist-in-Chief
In May UCS welcomed Dr. James McCarthy to his new role as our board chair. Dr. McCarthy is the Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography at Harvard University and is known worldwide for his research on the effects of global warming on marine ecosystems and as one of the leaders of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC's) assessment reports. He has been a UCS board member since 2003 and assumes the chairmanship following his tenure as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Assistant Editor Heather Tuttle recently met with Dr. McCarthy to introduce him to Catalyst readers.
When did you first become interested in climate change?
| In this issue of Catalyst:
> In the Footsteps of Thoreau |
It was sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s when we first saw how carbon dioxide emissions were increasing. We realized that the oceans were a part of this story and needed further study. Since then most of my research has been related in some way to climate change.
What can we learn from reports like the 2004 Arctic Climate Impacts Assessment and the IPCC's Third Assessment Report?
The Arctic region is where the physical manifestations of climate change are most dramatically observed today, and indigenous people are being affected by these changes. But everywhere on the globe there are groups of people vulnerable to these effects. Look at New Orleans, where thousands of residents could not get out of harm's way from Hurricane Katrina, or Europe, where a heat wave killed more than 35,000 people in 2003. These are people in developed countries with abundant resources. Even where you think you can be prepared, there are populations that can be overwhelmed in ways that no one has thought about.
What do you believe are the unique abilities UCS brings to bear on important issues such as global warming?
Our understanding of science and our ability to explain this science to the public. Many scientists are uncomfortable talking about their work in a way that the public or congressional staff can understand. For one thing, scientists are inclined to talk about the 5 percent of disagreement [on a subject such as global warming] rather than the 95 percent where we do agree. This can come across sounding like scientists are indecisive or noncommittal. UCS succeeds by having people skilled at communicating the message of science without getting bogged down in minutiae.
UCS just celebrated its fortieth anniversary. What is your vision for its next 40 years?
We need to be nimble and opportunistic. Being able to see an issue arise and know it is a place where the voice of scientists can make a difference will be an important part of our future agenda—just as we responded in 2004 to the Bush administration's abuse and distortion of federal science.
As a former "house master" for Harvard undergrads, what is your take on this generation's attitude toward the issues on which UCS works?
I can honestly say that this experience gave me enormous confidence that the future is in good hands. Harvard's president would not have committed to reducing the university's global warming emissions if it were not for students who, in a very measured way, approached her about our responsibility to lead by example. Young people today recognize that climate change and environmental problems are the defining issues of their generation, and they're up to the challenge. If I didn't experience this, it would be much harder to do what I do.
