Ecothresholds Project Holds Briefing on Capitol Hill

On Thursday, September 20, 2007 the Heinz Center's Ecothresholds Project was the focus of a briefing on Ecosystem Thresholds and Climate Tipping Points: Implications for Policymakers. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) hosted the informational session on Capitol Hill for policymakers, resource managers and federal agency representatives.

Ecothresholds project participants discussed the impacts climate change is having on ecosystems, and the potential for widespread system changes that are rapid, large, and potentially irreversible. They also addressed evidence that there may be thresholds that, once crossed, will present serious coping challenges to humans.

The project participants and experts who served as panelists included:

• Dr. Anthony Janetos (Moderator), Director, Joint Global Change Research Institute, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory/University of Maryland
• Michael Bradley, Canfor Pulp Limited Partnership
• Dr. Neil Cobb, Director, Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research, Northern Arizona University
• Dr. Mark Eakin, Coordinator, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Dr. Ed Miles, Virginia and Prentice Bloedel Professor of Marine Studies and Public Affairs, University of Washington, and Heinz Center Trustee
• Dr. John Wiens, Lead Scientist, The Nature Conservancy

For presentations from the panelists, as well as a complete audio recording of the briefing, please click here.

For more information please contact Dennis Ojima, Senior Scholar, Heinz Center Global Change Program, at (202) 737-6307 or