2016 SkS Weekly Digest #11

As far as El Niños go, the one we’re experiencing now is a doozy. In fact, it’s probably the strongest that’s ever been measured. In the simplest terms, that means one thing: Get ready for another year of wild weather.

Toon of the Week

Quote of the Week

OUR NATION’S Founders elected not to restrict the Constitution’s fundamental guarantees to just one generation. Instead, they aimed to “establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” They took account of future generations by establishing an enduring guide to those principles most relevant to our nation’s fundamental challenges, including those arising centuries after the Constitution’s signing. Our nation’s outsized role in causing dangerous climate change presents such a fundamental problem.

Rebuttal Article Update

Both the Basic and Intermediate versions of the Rebuttal article to the denier myth, It hasn't warmed since 1998 have ben updated by Dana.

He Said What?

Marco Rubio at Thursday's GOP debate acknowledged that climate change existed, but said it was "because the climate has always been changing."

Moderator Jake Tapper took his cue from Republican Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado — a Rubio endorser — who urged Tapper to ask Rubio to pledge to do something about climate change.

"I have long supported mitigation efforts," Rubio said, noting, "South Florida was a bit of land that was largely a swamp."

"But as far as a law that we can pass in Washington to change the weather, there's no such thing," Rubio said. "On the contrary, there is laws they want us to pass, there are laws they want to us pass that would be devastating for our economy."

"You know what impact it would have on the environment? Zero. Because China and India will still be polluting at historic levels," Rubio said. "I want to be a safe and clean place but these laws they're asking to pass will do nothing for the environment and will hurt and devastate our economy. "

SkS Spotlights: International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)

The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)'s mission is to reduce hunger and poverty, and improve human nutrition in the tropics through research aimed at increasing the eco-efficiency of agriculture.

Backed by the Colombian government and Rockefeller, Ford, and Kellogg Foundations, CIAT was formally established in 1967 and began its research in 1969.

Focus on Tropical Agriculture

While aware of the many constraints to farming in the tropics, CIAT’s founders saw this vast region as a world of promise, where agriculture, with the aid of modern science, might contribute substantially to reducing hunger and poverty. Since no single organization can address the whole of tropical agriculture, CIAT complements the efforts of others by focusing on selected crops and research areas.

Eco-Efficiency Vision

CIAT develops technologies, methods, and knowledge that better enable farmers, mainly smallholders, to enhance eco-efficiency in agriculture. This means we make production more competitive and profitable as well as sustainable and resilient through economically and ecologically sound use of natural resources and purchased inputs.

Research Areas

CIAT has global responsibility for the improvement of two staple foods, cassava and common bean, together with tropical forages for livestock. In Latin America and the Caribbean, we conduct research on rice as well. Representing diverse food groups and a key component of the world’s agricultural biodiversity, those crops are vital for global food and nutrition security.

In its work on agrobiodiversity, the Center employs advanced biotechnology to accelerate crop improvement. Progress in our crop research also depends on unique collections of genetic resources– 65,000 crop samples in all – which we hold in trust for humanity.

Alongside its research on agrobiodiversity, CIAT works in two other areas – soils and decision and policy analysis – which cut across all tropical crops and production environments.

Center soil scientists conduct research across scales – from fields and farms to production systems and landscapes – to create new tools and knowledge that help reduce hunger through sustainable intensification of agricultural production, while restoring degraded land and making agriculture climate smart.

CIAT’s work on decision and policy analysis harnesses the power of information to influence decisions about issues such as climate change, linking farmers to markets, research impact assessment, and gender equity.

Global Reach and Impact

CIAT has its headquarters near Cali, Colombia, with regional offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and Hanoi, Vietnam. Center scientists work in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as 29 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and 5 in Southeast Asia. Their collaborative efforts in these regions have generated important research achievements with substantial development impact.

Role in the CGIAR Consortium

CIAT is a member of the CGIAR Consortium.

CGIAR is a global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for a food secure future. CGIAR research is dedicated to reducing rural poverty, increasing food security, improving human health and nutrition, and ensuring more sustainable management of natural resources. It is carried out by the 15 centers who are members of the CGIAR Consortium in close collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, and the private sector.

CIAT’s work contributes importantly to CGIAR Research Programs, which address the major agricultural challenges of our time. CIAT is lead center for the program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), which helps smallholder farmers adapt to and mitigate the effects of rising temperatures and increasingly unpredictable rains.