.... Sir David spoke to a standing-room only audience
on “Climate Change” in conversation with Sandy
Tolan, Director, Project on International Reporting, and
Prof. Michael Pollan, both of Cal’s Graduate School
of Journalism.
Sir David King Interviewed by Journalism Professor Michael
Pollan
As a scientist and Professor of Physical Chemistry at
Cambridge, Sir David, in his non-political role as analyst
of scientific issues having an impact on public policy,
health, industry, infrastructure, and government in Britain,
meets weekly with top scientists in the UK and worldwide
who keep him up-to-date on a wide array of specialized
scientific research and who advise him on issues ranging
from flood control to genomics. He characterized his
position as a dream job because he has constant access
to the brightest scientific minds and the most current
scientific findings. By tradition a five-year appointment,
he as been asked to stay on for another five years by Her
Majesty’s
Government.
Sir David stressed that climate change is a fact supported
by a body of scientific data which — thanks to advances
in technology — can be measured ever more precisely.
For instance, through core samples drawn from arctic ice sheets
millions of years old, one can measure chemical and particulate
content in trapped air bubbles. Based on this, it is known
that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere during glacial
periods were approximately 200 parts per million (ppm) and
increased to about 270 ppm during warm periods.
Levels now have reached 379 ppm and are increasing at a rate
of 2 ppm a year, meaning that in 10 years the CO2 level in
the earth’s atmosphere will be at the alarming level
of 400 ppm. Furthermore, these changes have a delayed and lingering
effect on climate which will not be fully felt for decades
to come.
When commenting upon current natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, Sir
David stressed that a government should plan for reasonable projections of
natural events over time frames which make geologic — not human — sense:
for instance, if it is known through analysis that every 200 years certain
heavily populated areas have been innundated with flood waters, then the government
in question should incorporate this fact into planning, so that infrastructure
and populations might incur minimal damage due to planning foresight. These
broader natural-geological time frames are what responsible governments should
consider and work into their planning mandates and safety scenarios.
He stressed that cities like New York, New Orleans, and London
are clearly in danger of being flooded (or reflooded in the
case of New Orleans) in the future, and advocates strengthened
flood defenses as well as immediate efforts to reduce green-house
gas emissions. He has looked at various free-market models
for encouraging reduction in greenhouse gases by industry,
which he communicates to Prime Minister Blair and captains
of industry both in the UK and worldwide.
Speaking to sympathetic Berkeley audience, Sir David’s
witty but chilling assessment of the earth’s future
belied what he characterized as his own optimism. The conversational
give-and-take of the presentation was a hit with the audience.
The event was sponsored by a slew of Berkeley and outside
departments, organizations, and institutes including IES and
the Graduate School of Journalism.
— EK
