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Conference
Summary Report
Climate Change, Extreme Events & Coastal Cities
February 9, 2005
Shell
Oil Foundation Auditorium
Jones Graduate School of Management
RICE UNIVERSITY
QUESTION
WHAT DO LONDON & HOUSTON HAVE IN COMMON?
ANSWER
BOTH ARE HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE
CHANGE
This
joint Houston-London conference sponsored by Rice University’s
Environmental & Energy Systems Institute and Shell
Center for Sustainability with University College London
will assemble academic, business, governmental and non-governmental
organizations to:
- Discuss
the causes of climate change and its impact on coastal
cities, specifically Houston and London
- Identify
the critical research and practical issues needed
to mitigate climate change
- Identify
possible collaborative projects between the UK and
the US Registration details to come
More
than one-third of the world’s population now lives within
62 kilometres (100 miles) of a shoreline. Thirteen of
the world’s twenty largest cities are located on a coast.
For coastal city citizens, global climate change is
a threat to survival:
- Catastrophic
storms and flooding put lives at risk and property
in peril
- Health
issues resulting from climate change, such as respiratory
problems
- Long-term
economic impacts of climate change on agriculture
are yet to be seen
Energy
systems, planning, floods in urban and coastal areas,
climate change in urban areas, prediction techniques
for environment and climate, health issues in urban
areas: all will be addressed by research scientists
prominent in their fields and policy-makers.
Speakers
include:
- Bill
White, Mayor, City of Houston
- Lord
Julian Hunt, University College London
- David
Leebron, President Rice University
- Judith
Slater, Her Majesty’s Consul General, Houston Dr.
- Dr.
Mark Wiesner, Rice University
- Dr.
David Fisk, Imperial College U.K.
- Dr.
Daewon Byun, University of Houston
- Dr.
Paul Wilkinson, London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine
- Dr.
Phil Bedient, Rice University
- Dr.
Geoff Jenkins, Chief Co-ordinator, Hadley Centre,
UK Meteorological Office
- David
Crighton, Benfield, Hazards Research Unit, University
College London
- Dr.
Lars Lerup, Rice University
- Dr.
Tim Killeen, Director, National Center for Atmospheric
Research (NCAR)
Conference
Contacts:
Gary
Marfin, Program Director, Shell Center for Sustainability,
Rice University 713-348-4133, gcmarfin@rice.edu
May Akrawi, Science & Technology Vice Consul,
British Consulate-General, Houston 713-659-6270 x2134,
may.akrawi@fco.gov.uk
Organised by: Environmental & Energy Systems Institute’s
Shell Center for Sustainability (Rice University) Universities
in London (led by University College London) UK Science
& Technology Network and The British Consulate-General,
Houston Funding provided by: UK Science & Technology,
British Consulate-General, Houston Rice University (E.E.S.I
and Shell Center for Sustainability) University College
London (Environment Institute) Convenors: Mark Wiesner
& Chris Holmes (Rice University) Julian Hunt (University
College London)
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