Attribution Science and Climate Law Conference -- Agenda

Thursday, January 9

8:30 - 9:00 am Registration 

9:00 - 9:15 am Opening Remarks

9:15 - 10:45 am Introduction to Climate Change Attribution Science

Define “attribution science” and discuss the history of this field. Introduce different areas of research (e.g., changes in mean conditions, extreme events, impacts). Discuss high level findings from and since AR6.

Moderator: Radley Horton (Columbia)

Confirmed:

  • Ben Santer (Woods Hole) 

Invited:

  • Gavin Schmidt (Columbia / NASA GISS) 
  • Cynthia Rosenzweig (Columbia / NASA GISS) 

10:45 - 12:15 pm Panel: Legal and Policy Applications of Attribution Research

Discuss trends in climate litigation and explain how attribution research factors into different cases; highlight some specific examples of prominent legal proceedings. Discuss role of attribution research in other legal and policy contexts (e.g., climate liability bills, regulatory and administrative decision-making, financial risk). Discuss importance of attribution research in supporting discussions about climate justice and equity.

Moderator: Michael Burger (Columbia)

Confirmed:

  • Aisha Saad (Georgetown) 
  • Andrea Rodgers (Our Children’s Trust)
  • Dr. Omondi Owino (Acorn Law)
  • Dennis van Berkel  (Urgenda Foundation) 

12:15 - 1:00 pm Lunch 

1:00 - 2:30 pm Panel: Extreme Event Attribution

Define techniques used in extreme event attribution (EEA) (e.g., probabilistic vs. mechanistic approach). Discuss strengths, limitations, recent advances in this field; notable findings re: specific types of extreme events. How might suitability of EEA approaches differ depending on legal/policy application?   

Moderator: Fredi Otto (Grantham) 

Confirmed:

  • Joyce Kimutai (Grantham) 
  • Michael Wehner (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab) 
  • Kevin Reed (Stony Brook University) 
  • Elisabeth Lloyd  (Indiana University)

2:30 - 5:00 pm Impact Attribution Panels (division of topics TBD)

Discuss methods, latest findings, and challenges in the attribution of impacts on natural and human systems, e.g., ecosystems and  biodiversity, agricultural systems, fisheries, food and water security, human health, infrastructure, etc. Highlight key findings from attribution research re: inequitable and disproportionate distribution of harms from climate change.

Moderator(s): Kris Ebi (University of Washington) 

Confirmed:

  • Nick Ogden (Public Health Agency of Canada) - vector borne diseases
  • Emmauel Raju (University of Copenhagen) - impacts of disasters (works with WWA)
  • Shouro Dasgupta (CMCC) - impacts on labor, food, health
  • Jonas Jägermeyr (Columbia, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) - climate change impacts on food systems 

Invited:

  • Rachel Warren  (University of East Anglia) - ecosystems and biodiversity
  • Camille Parmesan (University of Plymouth / UT Austin) - Impact of climate change on wildlife, ecosystems
  • John Abatzoglou (UC Merced) - impacts on natural resources; wildfires

5:00 pm Adjourn

 

Day 2

9:00 - 10:30 am Panel: Attributing Harm to Specific Emitters/Emissions

Discuss role of attribution research in quantifying climate damages and attributing damages to specific emitters/emissions.

Moderator: Justin Mankin (Dartmouth)

Confirmed:

  • Chris Callahan (Stanford) - attributing climate damages at national scale
  • Marshall Burke (Stanford) - quantifying climate change damages as part of social cost estimates
  • Brenda Ekwurzel (UCS) - attributing climate impacts to carbon majors (wildfires, ocean acidification, atmospheric CO2, temperature, and sea level)

Invited:

  • Dirk Notz (University of Hamburg / Max Planck Institute) - Connecting per ton increases in GHG emissions to incremental changes in sea ice (may have views on whether the per-ton approach could be applied to other climate variables/effects, such as temperature and sea level rise)

10:30 - 10:45 am Break

10:45 - 11:45 am Reflections on the Legal and Policy Implications of Attribution Research 

Speakers reflect on the current status of attribution research, the scientific information presented during the panels, implications for future legal and policy decisions, and other issues raised during the conference.

Moderator: Jessica Wentz (Columbia)

Invited:

  • Doug Kysar
  • Sheila Foster
  • James Marshall Shepherd
  • Adam Sobel

11:45 - 12:00 pm Closing Remarks

12:00 pm Adjourn