Global Warming: The Last Best Science

Global Warming: The Last Word on the Best Science Ambassador Foley (right) hosted a lunch for Dr. Somerville of University of California, San Diego

On September 5, 2007, Ambassador Thomas Foley hosted a lunch for Dr. Richard Somerville, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego.  Guests at the lunch included local academics and Irish government officials working on ways to mitigate the effects of global warming and help Ireland fulfill its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. 

Under Ambassador Foley’s leadership, the U.S. Embassy in Dublin is engaging with the Government of Ireland on a wide range of important issues related to carbon mitigation, including efforts to promote the commercialization of wind and ocean energy and to explore the viability of the application of clean-coal technology on the island.  Given its geography, Ireland looks to be an ideal incubator for innovation for these types of renewable energy.  The United States government is committed to working with Ireland to realize this potential.     

Dr. Somerville was in Dublin to deliver a lecture at the Royal Dublin Society entitled, “Global Warming: The Last Word on the Best Science.”  This lecture launched the Irish Times “Ireland in 2030” lecture series, the aim of which is to raise awareness of what Ireland can do to help meet long-term challenges.  Dr. Somerville was the coordinating lead author for the 2007 assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an international group of climate change experts.