A review of 2016 temperature and rainfall statistics for Georgia, in the context of ongoing climate change. And want some climate solutions? Lots of them here, from personal choices to community actions, to federal policy options. Featuring the "Carbon Reduction Challenge", wherein student teams compete to reduce carbon emissions by millions of pounds.

1. Climate change in Georgia –
science & solutions
Kim Cobb
@coralsncaves
Georgia Power Chair
ADVANCE Professor
Earth & Atmospheric
Sciences
Georgia Tech
July 27, 2017

2. 2016
2016
2016 shattered record from 2015,
which shattered the record from 2014.
2017 may beat out 2016 as new record

3. Georgia is one
of many places
that registered
all-time record
warming
in 2016.

4. https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/201613
Georgia
registered the
most extreme
warming of
any state in
2016
Entire Southeast
experienced
near-record
warming.

5. https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc

8. @jamesfregan
Under climate change,
we expect longer droughts
separated by larger
rainfall events.

9. https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/beyond-data/
2016-historic-year-billion-dollar-weather-and-climate-disasters-us
Katrina
Sandy

10. https://wwa.climatecentral.org
They conclude:
flood-inducing rainfall event ~40% more likely now than in pre-industrial era

11. http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v6/n
7/full/nclimate2961.html
Sea level rise
IPCC 2013:
+1ft to +3ft by
2100 likely
Recent work:
+2ft to +5ft
by 2100 likely
(Kopp et al., 2016)

12. Sea level represents a lagged, cumulative
indicator of global warming

13. Science, Jun 30 2017

14. Southeast will be an epicenter of climate change impacts

15. Poor communities will be hardest hit

16. Deaths from heat extremes
dominate economic losses

17. What can we do?

18. What can we do?
Is it too late?

19. What can we do?
Is it too late?
Do I matter?

20. What can you do?
1) accelerate shift towards low-C future
with your own choices; #climateaction
If you do something, say something.

22. Information and sign-up here
Go Solar with
Georgia Power
- electricity from huge
solar farms in GA
- only $0.01 per kWhr
more than standard
rate

23. What can you do?
1) accelerate shift towards low-C future
with your own choices; #climateaction
2) wherever you work/pray/learn, be
an agent for change

24. EAS 3110
THE CARBON REDUCTI ON CHALLENGE
6 STUDENT TEAMS
8 WEEKS
1 PRI ZE
Goal : 3, 000, 000 LBS CO2 SAVED

25. Partners:
GT Facilities
IBM
BP
Home Depot
Chipotle
Trees Atlanta
Dept Veterans Affairs
3M
*Southface
*Delta
*Home Depot
*Suntrust
2017 CO2 avoided:
>5 million lbs
Carbon dioxide emissions saved per class year
0
1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
CO2avoided(lbs)
Year

26. 2013 Winners
45 floors at BP
lights off ½hr earlier
at end of day
Savings in 2 months:
$4,100
60,000 lbs

27. 2016 Winners
“cool roof” at GT
cost: $49,000
savings: $5,100/yr
CO2 savings in 10yr
1,500,000lbs
Target: Sustainable Education Building

28. 2017 Winners
HVAC upgrade to variable speed air controller in Klaus atrium
cost: $22,000
savings: $9,000/yr
CO2 savings in 10yr
2,400,000 lbs

30. What can you do?
1) accelerate shift towards low-C future
with your own choices; #climateaction
2) wherever you work/pray/learn, be
an agent for change
3) add your voice to those asking our
leaders to act on climate change

31. https://citizensclimatelobby.org
Carbon Fee
and Dividend
net gain for
low-C emitters
net loss for
high-C emitters
govt doesn’t
make 1 cent!
bipartisan appeal

32. now 50 members strong

33. “There are many ways of going
forward, but only one way of standing
still.”
--Franklin D. Roosevelt