Seif, Amy

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices7-1-2002MEDIA ADVISORY UNH Scientists Available forComment on Four Pollutant LegislationAmy SeifFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationSeif, Amy, "MEDIA ADVISORY UNH Scientists Available for Comment on Four Pollutant Legislation" (2002). UNH Today. 2242.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/224210/30/17, 11(40 AMMEDIA ADVISORY: UNH Scientists Available for Comment on Four-Pollutant LegislationPage 1 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2002/july/as_20020701pollutants.htmlUNHInstitutefor theStudy ofEarth,Oceans,and Space MEDIA ADVISORY: UNH Scientists Available forComment on Four-PollutantLegislationBy Amy Seif Communication and Information Coordinator Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space 603-862-5369July 1, 2002DURHAM, N.H. ‚ The U.S. Senate Environment andPublic Works Committee approved controversial four-pollutant legislation by a narrow 10-9 vote lastThursday that would set first-ever restrictions on powerplant emissions of mercury and the greenhouse gascarbon dioxide. The bill also set restrictions on acid-rain causing sulfur dioxide and smog-forming nitrogenoxides. New Hampshire and Massachusetts have passedsimilar legislation clamping down on the big fourpower plant emissions. Republicans called the nationalmeasure dead before it gets to the Senate floor; theBush administration is vehemently opposed to any capon carbon dioxide emissions on the grounds the cost ofcomplying would be devastating to U.S. industry. TheInstitute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space(EOS) at the University of New Hampshire housesseveral prominent scientists within the Climate ChangeResearch Center and the Complex Systems ResearchCenter, including the N.H. state climatologist and a leadauthor within the Intergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange, who can comment on this legislation. The NewEngland Regional Assessment report was coordinatedand released this year by EOS as part of a nationalassessment of potential climate change impacts ondifferent regions of the country.Global Climate Change and Human Activities in theNew England Region Barry Rock (603) 862-2949Barry Rock, professor of natural resources in EOS, isinterested in long and short-term global changes and the10/30/17, 11(40 AMMEDIA ADVISORY: UNH Scientists Available for Comment on Four-Pollutant LegislationPage 2 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2002/july/as_20020701pollutants.html processes controlling interactions between climate,ecosystems and human activities. Rock is the projectcoordinator for the New England Regional Assessmentof the Potential Consequences of Climate Variabilityand Change. He is also director of the Forest Watchprogram, and he was the first senior scientist for theGlobal Learning and Observations to Benefit theEnvironment (GLOBE) program."As project coordinator of the New England RegionalAssessment effort, I became very much aware of theimpact that past climate change from 1895-1999 had onNew England, particularly New Hampshire. If theclimate models are even close to correct then the impactover the next 100 years will be profound and willchange New England in very fundamental ways. NewHampshire was the state found to be most heavilyimpacted by the warming trend of the recent past.Human activities - notably greenhouse gas emissionsand deforestation - have clearly resulted in the trends ofthe past, thus it becomes very important that we limitour carbon dioxide emissions and deforestationactivities."The Science of Global Climate Change and itsConsequence George Hurtt, (603) 862-3136George Hurtt, assistant professor of natural resources inEOS, combines data and models to study the dynamicsof ecosystems and the interactions between theatmosphere and biosphere. He is a co-author andscientific spokesperson for the New England RegionalAssessment of the Potential Consequences of ClimateVariability and Change. He has briefed the U.S.Congress on the state of scientific understandingregarding climate change in New England, and testifiedto the N.H. House on the four-pollutant legislation."There is widespread scientific consensus that carbondioxide is a greenhouse gas, is increasing in theatmosphere, and is already contributing to globalwarming. If carbon dioxide continues to accumulate inthe atmosphere, it is likely to cause additional changesin climate that are disruptive and largely negative. Toprevent this, global emissions of carbon dioxide mustbe reduced, and this includes reducing emissions fromNew Hampshire. How best to reduce emissions is not10/30/17, 11(40 AMMEDIA ADVISORY: UNH Scientists Available for Comment on Four-Pollutant LegislationPage 3 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2002/july/as_20020701pollutants.htmlpurely a scientific question, and requires input andchoices from both policymakers and the public atlarge."Historical Climate Records Cameron Wake, (603) 862-2329Cameron Wake, research assistant professor of Earthsciences in EOS, researches the development of climaterecords through the recovery and analysis of ice cores.Over the past decade, he has been involved in researchexpeditions to Nepal, China, Pakistan, the CanadianArctic, Greenland and Antarctica. He is currentlyinvestigating the impact of anthropogenic emissions onclimate in New England through the AIRMAP project,and testified before the N.H. House on the four-pollutant legislation. Wake recently returned from asuccessful ice-coring expedition to the CanadianYukon."We know from current monitoring programs combinedwith analysis of ice cores that we have caused dramaticchange in the chemistry of the atmosphere, with respectto greenhouse gases, acid aerosols, and trace metals.The new four-pollutant bill in New Hampshireaddresses reductions in these types of atmosphericpollutants. The real value of this bill is that it addressesseveral aspects of the air pollution problem, includingglobal warming and acid rain. This is a great stepforward for New Hampshire and a good example forthe rest of the nation to follow."Back to UNH News Bureau

MEDIA ADVISORY UNH Scientists Available for Comment on Four Pollutant Legislation

University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository
Media Relations Administrative Offices
7-1-2002
MEDIA ADVISORY UNH Scientists Available for
Comment on Four Pollutant Legislation
Amy Seif
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/news
This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has
been accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more
information, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.
Recommended Citation
Seif, Amy, "MEDIA ADVISORY UNH Scientists Available for Comment on Four Pollutant Legislation" (2002). UNH Today. 2242.
https://scholars.unh.edu/news/2242
10/30/17, 11(40 AMMEDIA ADVISORY: UNH Scientists Available for Comment on Four-Pollutant Legislation
Page 1 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2002/july/as_20020701pollutants.html
UNH
Institute
for the
Study of
Earth,
Oceans,
and Space 
MEDIA ADVISORY: 
UNH Scientists Available for
Comment on Four-Pollutant
Legislation
By Amy Seif 
Communication and Information Coordinator 
Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space 
603-862-5369
July 1, 2002
DURHAM, N.H. ‚ The U.S. Senate Environment and
Public Works Committee approved controversial four-
pollutant legislation by a narrow 10-9 vote last
Thursday that would set first-ever restrictions on power
plant emissions of mercury and the greenhouse gas
carbon dioxide. The bill also set restrictions on acid-
rain causing sulfur dioxide and smog-forming nitrogen
oxides. New Hampshire and Massachusetts have passed
similar legislation clamping down on the big four
power plant emissions. Republicans called the national
measure dead before it gets to the Senate floor; the
Bush administration is vehemently opposed to any cap
on carbon dioxide emissions on the grounds the cost of
complying would be devastating to U.S. industry. The
Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space
(EOS) at the University of New Hampshire houses
several prominent scientists within the Climate Change
Research Center and the Complex Systems Research
Center, including the N.H. state climatologist and a lead
author within the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, who can comment on this legislation. The New
England Regional Assessment report was coordinated
and released this year by EOS as part of a national
assessment of potential climate change impacts on
different regions of the country.
Global Climate Change and Human Activities in the
New England Region 
Barry Rock (603) 862-2949
Barry Rock, professor of natural resources in EOS, is
interested in long and short-term global changes and the
10/30/17, 11(40 AMMEDIA ADVISORY: UNH Scientists Available for Comment on Four-Pollutant Legislation
Page 2 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2002/july/as_20020701pollutants.html
 
processes controlling interactions between climate,
ecosystems and human activities. Rock is the project
coordinator for the New England Regional Assessment
of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability
and Change. He is also director of the Forest Watch
program, and he was the first senior scientist for the
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the
Environment (GLOBE) program.
"As project coordinator of the New England Regional
Assessment effort, I became very much aware of the
impact that past climate change from 1895-1999 had on
New England, particularly New Hampshire. If the
climate models are even close to correct then the impact
over the next 100 years will be profound and will
change New England in very fundamental ways. New
Hampshire was the state found to be most heavily
impacted by the warming trend of the recent past.
Human activities - notably greenhouse gas emissions
and deforestation - have clearly resulted in the trends of
the past, thus it becomes very important that we limit
our carbon dioxide emissions and deforestation
activities."
The Science of Global Climate Change and its
Consequence 
George Hurtt, (603) 862-3136
George Hurtt, assistant professor of natural resources in
EOS, combines data and models to study the dynamics
of ecosystems and the interactions between the
atmosphere and biosphere. He is a co-author and
scientific spokesperson for the New England Regional
Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate
Variability and Change. He has briefed the U.S.
Congress on the state of scientific understanding
regarding climate change in New England, and testified
to the N.H. House on the four-pollutant legislation.
"There is widespread scientific consensus that carbon
dioxide is a greenhouse gas, is increasing in the
atmosphere, and is already contributing to global
warming. If carbon dioxide continues to accumulate in
the atmosphere, it is likely to cause additional changes
in climate that are disruptive and largely negative. To
prevent this, global emissions of carbon dioxide must
be reduced, and this includes reducing emissions from
New Hampshire. How best to reduce emissions is not
10/30/17, 11(40 AMMEDIA ADVISORY: UNH Scientists Available for Comment on Four-Pollutant Legislation
Page 3 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2002/july/as_20020701pollutants.html
purely a scientific question, and requires input and
choices from both policymakers and the public at
large."
Historical Climate Records 
Cameron Wake, (603) 862-2329
Cameron Wake, research assistant professor of Earth
sciences in EOS, researches the development of climate
records through the recovery and analysis of ice cores.
Over the past decade, he has been involved in research
expeditions to Nepal, China, Pakistan, the Canadian
Arctic, Greenland and Antarctica. He is currently
investigating the impact of anthropogenic emissions on
climate in New England through the AIRMAP project,
and testified before the N.H. House on the four-
pollutant legislation. Wake recently returned from a
successful ice-coring expedition to the Canadian
Yukon.
"We know from current monitoring programs combined
with analysis of ice cores that we have caused dramatic
change in the chemistry of the atmosphere, with respect
to greenhouse gases, acid aerosols, and trace metals.
The new four-pollutant bill in New Hampshire
addresses reductions in these types of atmospheric
pollutants. The real value of this bill is that it addresses
several aspects of the air pollution problem, including
global warming and acid rain. This is a great step
forward for New Hampshire and a good example for
the rest of the nation to follow."
Back to UNH News Bureau


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MEDIA ADVISORY UNH Scientists Available for Comment on Four Pollutant Legislation

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