Global Conference on Oceans, Climate & Security
Making Connections
Thanks to the Council of Advisors, leadership and staff of the Collaborative Institute we held a successful First Global Conference on Oceans, Climate and Security (GC '12) in May 2012).
Representatives from sixteen countries, seventeen U.S. states, and many regional and local residents came together in Boston at GC ‘12 . Sectors attending included the military, private industry, consulting firms, academia, government officials, non-profit organizations, and concerned and interested citizens.
Over the three-day conference, we discussed a plethora of important human and national security connections associated with climate change and our changing oceans. Our conversations were informed by keynote luminaries such as U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of NOAA Jane Lubchenco, PhD and Jeff Masters, PhD from Weather Underground. Plenary moderator USN Captain Wayne Porter framed our discussions with a Framework Paper that underscored the critical importance of the topic.
About the GC '12
The predicted effects of climate change over the coming decades include extreme weather events, drought, flooding, sea level rise, retreating glaciers, habitat shifts, and the increased spread of life-threatening diseases. These conditions have the potential to disrupt societies around the world and force nations to change the way they keep populations safe and secure.
Some threats are direct, such as impacts to global food security through drought or changes in ocean chemistry and temperature, or damage to civilian and military infrastructure caused by sea-level rise and increasingly frequent or intense storm events. Other threats are significant but less direct, such as decreased agricultural productivity, forced migration of coastal populations, and destabilizations of economies due to the ocean’s reduced capacity to regulate climate and provide for human needs. These conditions have the potential to disrupt societies around the world and force nations to change the way they keep population safe and secure.
Visit UMass Boston
Come spend an hour or two exploring the campus and talking with UMass Boston students and admissions counselors. Read More
