Environmental Disasters - 13th Annual NCSE Conference: Disasters and Environment: Science, Preparedness, and Resilience Confer - Draft Agenda

Draft Agenda

Tuesday, January 15, 2013 7:45 a.m. Registration, Continental Breakfast, Exhibition, and Scientific Poster presentations open 8:25 a.m. Opening and Introduction 8:30 a.m. Keynote Address: Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, United Nations 9:00 a.m. Keynote Address: W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

9:30 a.m. Plenary 1: Japan 2011: Cascading Disasters

Moderator: Jon Hamilton, Correspondent, Science Desk, NPR

Discussants:

• Timothy Mousseau, Professor of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina
• Yoshimi Inaba, Chairman, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
• Kenichiro Sasae, Ambassador of Japan to the United States*
• Admiral Robert Willard (USN, Ret.), Commander, U.S. Pacific Command 2010-2012; President and CEO, Institute of Nuclear Power Operations

10:30 a.m. Plenary 2: The Gulf Coast: Diverse Converging Issues

Moderator: Admiral Thad Allen (USCG, Ret.), Senior Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton

Discussants:

• Marcia McNutt, Director, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
• Bill Walker, Gulf of Mexico Alliance Management Team; Executive Director, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
• Nancy Rabalais, Executive Director and Professor, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium
• Bernard Goldstein, Chair, Coordinating Committee of the Gulf Region Health Outreach Program

11:30 a.m. Plenary 3: Aridity and Drought and their Consequences

Moderator: Veronica Johnson, News4 Meteorologist, NBC Washington

Discussants:

• Margaret Hiza Redsteer, Research Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
• Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
• Donald Wilhite, Professor of Applied Climate Science, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Roger S. Pulwarty, Physical Scientist and Director, National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), Physical Sciences Division and OAR/Climate Program Office

12:30 p.m. Lunch (on your own)

2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Symposia A:

International Roles in Environmental Emergencies

Tools to Identify Vulnerability to Disasters: Part 1

Inundation Risk and Vulnerability Assessment

Preventing Catastrophic Losses to the Cascading Effects of Forest Fire

Lifeline Services at the Interface of the Built and Natural Environment

Ecosystem Impacts from Nuclear Energy: Lessons from Chernobyl and Fukushima

Building a New Framework for Understanding and Mitigating Disaster Impacts on Ecosystems

Envisioning Resilient and Sustainable Communities

Climate Change, Communities, and Risk: Research from the U.S. Global Change Research Program and National Climate Assessment

Applying Models of Human Behavior and Memory in Disasters Across Space and Time

Community-Led Responses and Recovery to Cascading Disasters Along the Gulf Coast

Florida: A Statewide Case Study of Alternative Approaches to Adaptation and Recovery

3:45 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Symposia B:

Tools to Identify Vulnerability to Disasters: Part 2

Wildland Fire in a Changing Climate

Military Bases and their Communities

Coastal Cities: Planning for Resilience, Adaptation, and Sustainability--Lessons from the Northeast and Superstorm Sandy

Climate, Environment, and Readiness (CLEAR) Action Plan for Virginia - Incorporating Expertise from CA's Bay Area and the City of Philadelphia, PA

Mapping a Path to Resilience: The Intersection of Environmental Disasters, Ecosystem Services, and Security

Enhancing Preparedness and Building Resilience in the Rapidly Changing Arctic

Learning from Disasters: Environmental Disasters as Teachable Moments

Informing Disaster Resilience Policy

Women and Climate Change Disaster Resilience: Local to Global Ecological Impacts and Strategies

No Regrets Resilience along the Gulf Coast

Unmeasured Consequences of Major Natural Disasters and Conflict

5:30 p.m.

Keynote Address: Amanda Ripley, Author of The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why 6:30 p.m. Reception

Wednesday, January 16, 2013 7:45 a.m. Registration, Continental Breakfast, Exhibition, and Scientific Poster presentations open 8:30 a.m. Keynote Address: Mark Tercek, President and CEO, The Nature Conservancy 9:00 a.m. Keynote Address: Jane Lubchenco, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator, NOAA 9:30 a.m.

Plenary 4: Feedbacks: Environmental Changes Driving Environmental Disasters

Moderator: Juliet Eilperin, National Environmental Reporter, The Washington Post

Discussants:

• Gary Machlis, Science Advisor to the Director, National Park Service
• James Murley, Executive Director, South Florida Regional Planning Council
• Tom Tidwell, Chief, U.S. Forest Service
• private sector perspective*

10:30 a.m.

Plenary 5: Climate Change and Disasters

Moderator: Heidi Cullen, Chief Climatologist, Climate Central

Discussants:

• Amy Luers, Director, Climate Change, Skoll Global Threats Fund
• Kathryn Sullivan, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation & Prediction; Deputy Administrator and Acting Chief Scientist, NOAA
• Christopher Shore, Director, Natural Environment and Climate Issues, World Vision International
• Kristie Ebi, Consulting Professor, Department of Medicine, Stanford University; former Executive Director, IPCC WGII (Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability) Technical Support Unit

11:30 a.m.

Plenary 6: The "Human Factor" in Environmental Disasters

Moderator: Andrew Revkin, Journalist and Senior Fellow for Environmental Understanding, Pace University

Discussants:

• David Kaufman, Director of Policy and Program Analysis, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• Gerald Galloway, Research Professor, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland
• Joe Ruiz, UPS Corporate Contributions Manager & Humanitarian Relief Program Manager, The UPS Foundation
• Kathleen Tierney, Director, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado

12:30 p.m. Lunch (on your own)

2:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Breakout Workshops:

Ready or Not: Resilience Indicators

Connecting Tools with Decision Makers

Grid Collapse: Electric Power and Disasters

Coastal Communities: Planning for Resilience, Adaptation and Sustainability - Building Resilience in Coastal Communities: An International Agenda

Managing the Wildlands-Urban Interface for Fire Safety

The U.S. Flood Control Program at 75: Moving from Flood Control to Risk Management

Impacts of Earthquakes on the Environment and Human Health

Resilient Buildings and Communities: Responding to Disasters and a Changing Climate

Policies and Frameworks for Integrating Resources into Disaster Planning

Reducing Risk and Vulnerability: A New Future in Green Disaster Management, Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction

Natural Resource Managers and Disaster Risk Reduction: Protecting Coastal Ecosystems

Enhancing Preparedness and Building Resilience in the Rapidly Changing Arctic: Developing an Action Plan

Megadroughts

Environmental Emergencies: How to Manage Recent Trends of Climate Change and Urbanization

Building Community Resilience and Capacity through Extension Programs

Responding to Drinking Water and Wastewater-Related Disasters and Preparing for Climate Change

Resilient Community Disaster Recovery

Legal Issues in Emergency Management

Out of Harm's Way: Natural Disasters and Population Movements

Supporting Community Resilience

Risk Perception and Communication: How We Respond to Disasters

Predicting and Responding to Famine

Cities and Disasters

5:45 p.m.

NCSE Lifetime Achievement Award

13th Annual John H. Chafee Memorial Lecture: James Lee Witt, Founder and Chairman, Witt Associates 6:45 p.m. Reception

Thursday, January 17, 2013 8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast 8:30 a.m. Keynote Address: Rowan Douglas, Chairman, Willis Research Network 9:00 a.m. Keynote Address: Thomas Loster, Chairman, Munich Re Foundation

9:30 a.m. Plenary 7: Building Resilient Communities

Moderator: Monica Brady-Myerov, Reporter, NPR

Discussants:

• Susan Cutter, Carolina Distinguished Professor and Director, Hazards & Vulnerability Research Institute, University of South Carolina
• Nancy Kete, Managing Director, The Rockefeller Foundation
• Gus Felix, Global Head of Operational Risk Management, Citigroup
• Joseph Fiksel, Executive Director, Center for Resilience, The Ohio State University

10:30 a.m.

Plenary 8: No Regrets Resilience: Saving Money, Saving Lives

Moderator: Elizabeth Shogren, Correspondent, Science Desk, NPR*

Discussants:

• Howard Kunreuther, James G. Dinan Professor of Decision Sciences & Public Policy; Co-Director, Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
• Russ Paulsen, Executive Director of Community Preparedness and Resilience Services, American Red Cross
• Margaret Arnold, Senior Social Development Specialist, The World Bank*
• Ellis Stanley, Vice President, Western Emergency Management Services, Dewberry

11:30 a.m. Keynote Address: Mary Landrieu, U.S. Senator, Louisiana* 11:50 a.m. Keynote Address: Susan Collins, U.S. Senator, Maine* 12:10 p.m. Networking and Buffet Lunch (with youth mentoring tables) 2:00 p.m. Conference ends

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, several conference speakers and attendees have been busy helping with the recovery and have given their thoughts.