Louisiana State University: Global Warming
LSU Helps India Prepare for the Impact of Climate Change - 03/24/08
"Even though most carbon dioxide emissions come from just three continents, the repercussions impact everyone living on this planet," said Robert Twilley, associate vice chancellor of research and economic development at LSU, director of the Coastal Systems and Society Agenda, and professor of coastal sciences. "It's very important that, as we move toward a global economy, we also move toward a global outlook on the environment, too."
In April of 2007, Twilley joined an international science team with the goal of helping India - which was poised to overtake China as the world's most populated country in as little as five years - find ways to combat global warming's impact on its delicate coastal systems.
"The whole idea of the science and technology initiative that President (George W.) Bush signed with the premier of India was to develop a partnership between our two countries," said Twilley. "Louisiana exports its oil and gas technology all over the world. There's no reason we can't do the same with our coastal expertise."
With India's large population and significant carbon footprint, the country faces severe coastal threats. Historically, it has been extremely vulnerable to potentially catastrophic events such as typhoons, monsoons, and tsunamis. Given LSU's expertise in coastal environments, it makes sense that the University takes a leadership role in setting global precedents and develops a comprehensive program that will improve technology and save lives.
"The statistics are staggering," said Twilley. "Twenty-three of the 25 fastest growing counties in the United States are coastal communities. To put a global spin on it, 2.75 billion people throughout the world live in coastal areas. That's out of a total world population of 6.5 billion."
The international team associated with the April 2007 workshop is working to develop a unique program for India that could easily become a prototype for the rest of the world to follow. The system is two-pronged. First, they must come up with ways to measure and then reduce India's greenhouse gas emissions. Second, once the initial phase is complete, countries would receive "credit" for reduced emissions. It is called cap and trade, and it is already being developed here in the United States and throughout the European Union.
