U.S. TO HOST INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON FORECASTING EL NINO

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TITLE>SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

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EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
Office of Science and Technology Policy
Washington, DC 20500
Contact: Rick Borchelt, (202) 456-6020
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

The Office of Science and Technology policy announces the following selected science and technology events. To the best of our knowledge at press time, these events were open to reporter coverage except as noted. Some events may have additional restrictions on public access; please check with the contact person listed for each event to make certain it is still scheduled and still open to coverage. All times are local to the event and area codes are 202 unless otherwise indicated.

* * *

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Matt Stout (202)482-6090

November 3, 1995

MEDIA ADVISORY

U.S. TO HOST INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON FORECASTING EL NINO

This White House hosted forum is designed to bring together high-level government officials and leading scientific experts to address critical economic and public policy issues affected by year-to-year climate variability associated with the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon.

Among the questions for discussion are:

How can our existing decision and policy structures better incorporate probabilistic early-warning climate information to reduce human vulnerability to precipitation and temperature patterns that vary widely from expected averages?

What are the issues affected by climate fluctuation that are most critical to national priorities?

How do we proceed to organize interested nations and institutions to produce the most reliable information?

What do we know now about the regional manifestations of the global ENSO phenomenon and where are we most likely to make scientific progress in the next five years?

Other issues include looking at the science of short-term climate prediction as well as current capabilities and future potential capabilities. Additionally, Ambassador Elliot Richardson will discuss multinational arrangements to advance global scale studies, regional applications a national public policy.

Feature speakers will include:

Dr. John Gibbons-White House Science Advisor

Ambassador Elliot Richardson

Dr. James Baker, Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, U.S. Dept. of Commerce

Professor Michael McElroy, Chairman, Harvard Univ. Dept of Earth and Planetary Sciences

THE FORUM WILL BE HELD AT THE J.W. MARRIOT IN WASHINGTON D.C

(Pennsylvania and 14th Street NW).

The Forum agenda is attached

FORUM AGENDA

Day 1: Monday - November 6, 1995

Plenary

*8:45 - 9:15 am Dr. John H. Gibbons, Assistant to President Clinton for Science and Technology and Director, The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy:

- Opening Host Remarks and introduction of Keynote Speaker

9:15 - 9:45 am Keynote Address - White House Speaker (TBA)

9:45 - 10:15 am Dr. D. James Baker, Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:

- Chairman's Opening Remarks

PANEL I: CLIMATE, SOCIETY AND MULTINATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

*10:15 - 10:45 am Featured Speaker: Mr. J. Brian Atwood, Administrator,

United States Agency for International Development -The Climatic Context for

Human Activities

11:15 - 11:45 am Featured Speaker: Dr. Antonio R. Magalhaes, Former Vice Minister of Planning, Brazil - Short-term Climate Prediction: Implications for Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability

11:45 am - 12:15 pm Featured Speaker: Prof. Michael McElroy, Chairman,

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University - The Science

of Short-term Climate Prediction: Current Capabilities and Future Potential

Panel II: RESPONDING TO THE CHALLENGE

*1:45 - 2:15 pm Featured Speaker: Ambassador Elliot Richardson, Former U.S. Attorney General, Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Former Secretary U.S. Department of Commerce - Multinational

Arrangements to Advance Global Scale Studies, Regional Application, and

National Public Policy

*2:15 - 2:45 pm Featured Speaker: Ambassador H. A. Diallo, Executive

Secretary, Interim Secretariat, Convention to Combat Desertification -Water

Availability and the Human Condition

2:45 - 3:15 pm Featured Speaker: Prof. Paolo Fasella, Director General, Directorate-General, Science, Research and Development, Commission of the European Communities - Climate Research Activities as seen from the European Commission

3:45 - 4:15 pm Featured Speaker: Dr. Martha Krebs, Director, Office of Energy

Research, U.S. Department of Energy - Utility of Short term Climate

Predictions in the Energy Sector

Day 2 : Tuesday - November 7, 1995

Plenary

8:45 am - 1:00 pm Roundtable:

**10:00a.m. PRESS BREIFING -(In the Justice room)

5 minute Country Statements and Statements by Reps. of:

The United Nations Development Programme

The World Bank

Intergovernmental Ocean Commission

The Science and Technology Advisory Group (Chinese Taipei)

The Third World Academy of Sciences

1:00 - 2:15 pm Featured Speaker: Prof. Dr. Ing. Harsono Wiryosumarto, Chairman, Indonesian Space Agency (LAPAN) -Climate, Agriculture, and Fisheries : A Rural Development Program

2:30 - 5:30 pm Working Group Sessions (Concurrent)

Session A: Program of Research - Current State of the Scientific

Understanding and Future Directions

Session B: Dissemination and Applications of Experimental Predictions

Session C: Organizational Issues and follow-on activities

Day 3: Wednesday, November 8, 1995

8:45 am Begin seating in Working Groups

9:00 - 1:00 pm Working Group Sessions Continue - Refining of Topics and

preparation of Summary Reports

2:15 pm Participants seated in Plenary room

2:30 - 4:00 pm Closing Plenary

- Presentation of Summary Reports

- Discussion of recommendations for advancing cooperative activities

*4:00 - 4:30 pm - Closing Ceremonies
# # #
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