What is the history of climate change? Who discovered the planet was warming, when, and under what circumstances? And how can law, policy, and the court system be used to respond to this existential threat? While the industrial revolution is often invoked as the start of our climate change woes, environmental historians trace it back to the Enlightenment. The next riveting installment of Climate Science on Tap covers the history of the climate change issue and how law and policy are increasingly important for mitigating and adapting in a warming world. In particular, our panelists will discuss the groundbreaking legal challenge of Juliana v. U.S. and other cases moving through the courts, as well as efforts in the Washington State legislature. Climate change not only has a complex history, but it also has a court date, and one which may well open the next pivotal chapter in the story of our climate.

Panel:

• Representative Joe Fitzgibbon, Chair of House Environment Committee
• LuAnne Thompson, Ph.D., Oceanography, Physics and Atmospheric Sciences, School of Oceanography, University of Washington
• Sean Munger, JD, Ph.D., Climate Law and History
• Moderator: P. Sean McDonald, Ph.D. Program on the Environment, University of Washington