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William R. Travis, Ph.D.
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Curriculum Vitae | Working Papers & Presentations | Teaching | Research |
R.W. Kates on the WWW:
I’m
working with Bob Kates to get as much of his
written work on the web as possible, and we’ve built quite an extensive
archive----a treasure chest of enquiry into the human and environmental prospect---at:
www.rwkates.org
Contact
me or Bob if you have material to contribute.
Reports / Working Papers /
Presentations
Draft report of results from NSF SGER Project 083596 on Human Dimensions of the Pine Beetle Outbreak in the Rocky Mountains: (PDF): "Human Dimensions of the Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak in
the Greater Niwot Ridge LTER Landscape: Specifying
Anthropogenic Feedbacks and Socio-Economic Impacts in a Coupled Human-Natural
System"
working paper (PDF): "Geoengineering
the Climate: Lessons from Purposeful Weather and Climate Modification"
working
paper (PDF): "Elements of a Severe Climate Change Early Warning
System" I teach in the environment and society field of Geography, including classes in natural hazards, land use, and human ecology. Recently-taught courses:
Research
My research examines the interaction of environment and society, in two main realms: (I) social response to climate change and extreme events; and (II) coupled social and natural systems, including land use and anthropogenic transformations of land cover, with a focus on the American West. Here are some representative projects: Extreme
Climate Change: Recent climate studies and the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) point to the
potential, albeit small, for extreme climate change over the next century as
anthropogenic global warming ramps up and geo-physical "tipping
points" are encountered. While the bulk of impacts and adaptation
studies should logically focus on the more likely, less extreme, scenarios,
some attention must be paid to the possibility of severe, abrupt, and quite
disruptive climate change. How will social systems respond to the threat of
extreme climate change? What can we learn from human response to typical
natural risks, like hurricanes and floods, that would help us anticipate
human response to, say, rapid sea level rise (if Greenland melts),
mega-droughts, and super-hurricanes? Do we need a rapid climate change
warning system? This recent article in Climatic
Change addresses such questions:
"Going
to Extremes: Propositions on the Social Response to Extreme Climate Change”
http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/admin/publication_files/resource-2668-2010.03.pdf
See
also: (PDF):
Environment Magazine editor's picks.
Commentaries
“Two Decades and Two Adaptation Panels:
What Progress?” comparing NRC climate change assessments:
http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/ogmius/archives/issue_30/ogmius_exchange.html
“Snowmageddon Policy and Politics”
http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/ogmius/archives/issue_29/ogmius_exchange.html
“Emergency Use Only: Geo-engineering to
Reduce Global Warming”
http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/ogmius/archives/issue_26/ogmius_exchange.html#emergency
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Geography Faculty |