Titley to discuss climate change

David Titley
David Titley

David Titley, professor of practice in the Department of Meteorology at Penn State University, will present "Climate Change and National Security: People Not Polar Bears" at 3:30 p.m., Oct. 30 in the Nebraska Union, 14th and R streets, on UNL's City Campus. The seminar is co-sponsored by SNR, the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the Office of Research and Economic Development. It is free and open to the public.

Climate change is about people, water and change itself. It is critical to understand the rate of climate change relative to the abilities of both humans and ecosystems to adapt. Titley will describe the multiple, independent lines of evidence that the climate is changing, and that the primary cause of this change is a change in atmospheric composition caused by the burning of fossil fuels. He will cover the history of climate change as seen within the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Navy and how this challenge is being addressed from budgetary, policy and political angles. He will examine the greatest challenges to national security posed by climate change – particularly the associated changes in the Arctic.

The seminar will assess the future challenges and opportunities regarding climate change from scientific, political and policy perspectives, and why we know enough to take significant action now. Titley will also address how to effectively talk about climate change through the use of analogies, non-jargon English and even a little humor.

Titley is a professor of practice in the Department of Meteorology at Penn State University. He is the founding director of Penn State's Center for Solutions to Weather and Climate Risk. Titley served as a naval officer for 32 years and rose to the rank of Rear Admiral. His career included duties as oceanographer and navigator of the Navy. In 2009, he initiated and led the U.S. Navy Task Force on climate change. He also served as Deputy Secretary of Commerce for Operations, the Chief Operating Officer position of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Titley holds a bachelor of science in meteorology from Penn State. He earned a master's degree in meteorology and physical oceanography and a Ph.D. in meteorology from the Naval Postgraduate School. In 2009, he was elected a fellow of the American Meteorological Society.