EXPERTS ADVISORY

ANN ARBOR—Federal scientists announced Friday that last year was the hottest in Earth’s recorded history. Both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA calculated that 2014 was the hottest year in 135 years of record keeping.

The University of Michigan has several experts who can discuss the significance and implications of this record. They are:

Ben van der Pluijm, the Bruce R. Clark Collegiate Professor of Geology in the Department Earth and Environmental Sciences and director of the U-M Global Change Program. He can discuss the near-term societal impacts—related to weather, water, food and energy, for example—of climate change. Contact: 734-763-0373, 734-663-9134 or vdpluijm@umich.edu Bio: globalchange.umich.edu/Ben

Andrew Hoffman, director of the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise. He can field questions about the social debate over climate change and why some people reject the scientific consensus. Hoffman is the Holcim Professor of Sustainable Enterprise, a position with joint appointments at the Ross School of Business and the School of Natural Resources and Environment. Contact: 734-763-9455, 617-285-0920 (cell phone) or ajhoff@umich.edu. Bio: webuser.bus.umich.edu/ajhoff

Richard Rood, professor of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences. He can discuss the intersections of weather and climate, and climate and society. One of his current projects involves studying trends in extreme heat events. Rood is a blogger at Weather Underground and teaches a class on climate change problem solving. Contact: 301-526-8572 (cell phone) or rbrood@umich.edu Bio: aoss.engin.umich.edu/people/rbrood

Henry Pollack, professor emeritus of earth and environmental sciences, can discuss how 2014 fits the pattern of the last 20 years, in which most years have been among the hottest on record. Pollack was one of the U-M scientists who contributed to the climate reports issued by the United Nations-sponsored panel that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore. He is also a scientific adviser to Gore’s Climate Reality Project. Contact: 734-474-3823 (cell phone) or hpollack@umich.edu Bio: lsa.umich.edu/earth/people/ci.pollackhenry_ci.detail