UMass Boston

“Bending the Curve and Bouncing Back to Climate Resilience”

by

Dr. Ram Ramanathan
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Climate Sustainability at Scripps Institution of Oceanography
&
Climate Solutions Scholar, Cornell University

November 9, 2023 
Campus Center, Campus Ballroom, University of Massachusetts Boston 
Reception, 2:30–2:45 p.m.  
Lecture and Discussion, 2:45–4:30 p.m.

Chancellor's Lecture Series Program

Climate change morphed into climate crisis this year, giving us a peek into a world that is warmer by 1.5°C. The rise in temperature will cross the 1.5°C threshold by the early 2030s and will most likely get worse for at least another few decades, even assuming the most optimistic solutions for bending the emissions curve.

A new trans-disciplinary approach is needed to make people and ecosystems resilient to climate stress. The new approach, developed in partnership with the Vatican's science academies, is built on three pillars: mitigation, adaptation, and societal transformation. The approach will be field- tested in partnership with mayors and governors from around the world, who will be convened at the Vatican in a summit. Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco and Dr. Ramanathan are co-leading this effort on behalf of the Vatican science academies. 

Climate change is upon us already.  Left unchecked, it will become the existential challenge of our times. The planet is likely to cross the dangerous threshold of 1.5C warming in less than a decade – when climate change will move into our living rooms like COVID. Going from climate crisis to climate resiliency in ten years will require an approach that will include both intergovernmental collaborations (to bend the emissions curve) and transdisciplinary collaborations (starting at the local city level) to enable citizens and ecosystems to become climate resilient. In this lecture, Professor Ramanathan will share a framework for such an approach to this existential challenge. 

Biography

Since the 1970s, Veerabhadran Ramanathan’s groundbreaking work in the fields of atmospheric and climate sciences has brought crucial information to light. His first major contribution to the world of climate science occurred in the mid-70s, when he discovered the greenhouse effects of CFCs and other trace gases. Up until that point, it was widely accepted that carbon dioxide was the only gas responsible for the effects of global warming. He also contributed to the early development of global circulation models and the detecting and attribution of climate change. He has also lent his expertise to projects that changed the fabric of climate change research, such as the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) and the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE). 

Described as “The Pope’s climate scientist” due to his close relationship with Pope Francis, Dr. Ramanathan assisted with the creation of Laudato Si’, the Pope's encyclical on climate change, which carries the subtitle “on care for our common home.”  

He has received several national and international recognitions, including being named a thought leader by Foreign Policy in 2014, and the Tang Laureate for sustainability science in 2018. He is a climate solutions scholar at Cornell University, a council member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, a member of the U.S. National Academy and the Royal Swedish Academy, and a United Nations Champion of Earth. 

Ramanathan holds a BE from Annamalai University, an MSc in engineering science from the India Institute of Science, and a PhD in planetary atmospheres from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.  

Sample publications: 

• “Greenhouse Effect Due to Chlorofluorocarbons: Climatic Implications,” Science, 1975.
• “Opinion: Climate change isn’t just about emissions. We’re ignoring a huge part of the fight,” LA Times, October 15, 2023.