SAN DIEGO, March 18, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Citizens' Climate Lobby and Citizens' Climate Education are pleased to announce that Dr. Michael Mann will be the keynote speaker for the CCL/CCE 2016 International Conference in Washington, DC, June 19-21. Dr. Mann, one of the most respected climate scientists in America, is Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State University and director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center (ESSC).
In 1998, it was his research – conducted with Raymond Bradley and Malcolm Hughes – that led to the famous "hockey stick" graph that shows the alarming rise is average global temperatures during the 20th century.
Dr. Mann was a lead author on the Observed Climate Variability and Change chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Scientific Assessment Report in 2001 and was organizing committee chair for the National Academy of Sciences Frontiers of Science in 2003. He is the author of more than 190 peer-reviewed and edited publications, and has published two books -- Dire Predictions: Understanding Climate Change and The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines. He is also a co-founder of the award-winning science website RealClimate.org.
His work in climate science has led to him being the target of vicious attacks and various witch hunts by climate skeptics, including a demand from then-Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli for the University of Virginia to turn over Dr. Mann's emails. The Virginia Supreme Court ultimately denied Cuccinelli's request.
"When someone decides to become a scientist, they never imagine their career will involve character assassination and personal threats," said CCL Executive Director Mark Reynolds. "But that is precisely what has happened to Dr. Mann. Rather than run from the spotlight, however, he has courageously stood up to his attackers and defended his science. Our nation and our world are much better informed about climate change because of it."
In a 2013 Mother Jones article, Dr. Mann said, "The last thing I ever wanted to do was to get involved in politics, to me that was anathema." But "because of the situation I found myself in, I ultimately did grow to embrace the role that I can have in informing this debate that we're having about potentially the most significant challenge that human civilization has faced."
Citizens' Climate Lobby is a grassroots advocacy organization with more than 300 chapters that is focused on enacting a national carbon-pricing policy known as Carbon Fee and Dividend. More than 1,000 attendees are expected at the June conference in Washington, which will include constituent meetings on Capitol Hill with every House and Senate office.
A photo accompanying this release is available at:
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=39515
CONTACT:CONTACT: Steve Valk, steve@citizensclimate.org, 404-769-7461
