Michael Berkman, director of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State, and Christopher Beem, managing director of the McCourtney Institute, sat down recently to discuss the aftermath of Election Day and things they’ll be watching as the presidency transitions to President-elect Trump.
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Looking ahead to the next presidency: What are we watching?
The record-hot months of 2016 compared to the past 137 years. Credit: ClimateCentral.org
David Titley, a professor of meteorology and director of the Center for Solutions to Weather and Climate Risk, and Michael Mann, a distinguished professor of atmospheric science and director of the Earth System Science Center, were quoted in a recent Scientific American article about President-elect Donald Trump’s potential impact on future climate and energy research. Here’s an excerpt:
“Michael Mann, paleoclimate researcher at Penn State: A Trump presidency might be game over for the climate. In other words, it might make it impossible to stabilize planetary warming below dangerous (i.e. greater than 2°C) levels. If Trump makes good on his campaign promises and pulls out of the Paris Treaty, it is difficult to see a path forward to keeping warming below dangerous levels.
“It is time for introspection and contemplation. I’m still in the process of letting this sink in. …
“David Titley, climate and weather risk researcher at Penn State: Many black swans have taken flight this year. One thing science teaches you is that systems frequently revert to the mean. So, as dark as everything looks at this moment for fixing our climate, we need to have hope that we won’t realize the worst case. If there is a silver lining it’s that Trump does not seem bound by whatever he has said previously. So perhaps he will see the wisdom or at least self-interest, in investing in non-carbon, U.S.-produced, energy.
“The climate community has a huge challenge ahead, to frame this issue in a way that will resonate with the likely president-elect. It may not be possible but it would be negligent to not even try.”
Read more at ScientificAmerican.com.
Other related articles quoting Penn State researchers today include:
— Under President Trump, what will happen to climate policy? – BuzzFeed.com
— Donald Trumps’s climate policies could mean ‘game over’ for the planet: scientists – NYDailyNews.com
Photo credit: Penn State
Penn State political science Professor Eric Plutzer was quoted in a recent Voice of America article about the 2016 presidential election. Here’s an excerpt:
“Whatever the conclusions are in the association’s upcoming report, Plutzer said future demand for polling is expected to remain as strong as ever.
” ‘The public’s insatiable demand for polls, there were over 1,000 national horse-race polls in this election, is unlikely to disappear,’ he said.
“But Plutzer added the polling industry will be forced to develop innovative polls that try to understand how ordinary voters think rather than just trying to determine where candidates stand in their efforts to win elections.”
Read more at VOAnews.com.