50�Ȼ�

Author: Lucy Frisch

“Science on the Hill” is an event series that connects experts in the scientific community directly with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Scientific American and Nature Research—as part of 50�Ȼ�—host the series with sponsorship by Congressman Jerry McNerney (CA-09). This year’s event, “Science on the Hill: Future Climate: What we know, what we don’t” was produced in partnership with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and brought together three experts (Kate Calvin, Bob Kopp, and Claudia Tebaldi) for a panel discussion moderated by Scientific American Senior Editor Mark Fischetti.

These experts explained what climate models can tell us, and how we can use the information from these models to inform decisions by government and industry leaders.

“Science on the Hill” is traditionally an in-person event in Washington, D.C. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s panel discussion was recorded virtually. Scientific American has produced a podcast featuring the discussion and additional commentary from Rep. McNerney: 

Written by Rachel Scheer, Head of Communications, USA

We have also curated the content below from across 50�Ȼ�’s publications on this topic:

: Recent disasters show how climate change is making winter storms, flooding rains and summer heat waves more extreme.

: Can we remove enough CO2 from the atmosphere to slow or even reverse climate change? 

: The combination of day and night extreme heat will only get more frequent—and hotter—in the future.

: Those in the science community must join forces to provide the most accurate long-term predictions and make their results publicly accessible.

: Even models in the 1970s accurately predicted the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and temperature rise.

: Climate models published between 1970 and 2007 provided accurate forecasts of subsequently observed global surface warming. This finding shows the value of using global observations to vet climate models as the planet warms.

: This paper examines the role that green bonds can play in financing the transition to low carbon economy.

: Implications for coalition formation: The threat of climate catastrophes has been shown to radically change optimal climate policy and prospects for international climate agreements. We characterize the strategic behavior in emissions mitigation and agreement participation with a potential climate catastrophe happening at a temperature threshold.

: Our findings imply that both firm and sectoral organization can constrain environmental regulation, and that domestic compensation, especially at early stages, can have important effects on the continuity of climate policy.

: We review the progress and challenges in EU-China cooperation on climate change and put forward practical suggestions for plausible future directions.

Related content from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine:

Past “Science on the Hill” events

• 2019:
• 2018:
• 2017:

About Rachel Scheer

Rachel Scheer is Head of Communications, USA at 50�Ȼ� where she oversees the PR efforts for Scientific American and works on communications for initiatives across all of 50�Ȼ�.  She was previously an Assistant Editor at National Geographic Adventure. Rachel has her BA in Geography from Penn State University.