EMPOWERING CAPABLE CLIMATE COMMUNICATORS 2016

2016 TRAINING SESSION

FEBRUARY 20 and FEBRUARY 27 8:30 am to 3:30 pm
Sessions held in Room 126, Cox Science Center
on the Coral Gables Campus of the University of Miami.
Presentations, discussions, & training sessions by leading climate scientists & communicators,
focusing on the causes, severity, & impacts of human-induced climate change
and what must be done, to adapt to, to stop, and then to reverse the trend.
The goal of this training event series is to make delegates
sufficiently conversant with the topics and with adequate materials
so that they can begin to effectively educate others.
Participants are expected to fully participate in each event of the 2-Saturday session.
Empowering Capable Climate Communicators Training Series is
SPONSORED BY
the COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES,
the DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES
of the University of Miami
and the CLEO INSTITUTE
Contact Dr. Harold R. Wanless, Dept. Geological Sciences for further program information.
305-284-4253 or hwanless@miami.edu
The CLEO Institute is in charge of registration and is your contact for climate change training opportunities
and involvement http://www.cleoinstitute.org

Program for February 20, 2016

126 Cox Science Building, Coral Gables Campus, University of Miami

Day I of II:

Climate Change & Human-Induced Atmospheric and Ocean

Warming, Ice Melt, and Sea Level Rise
08:30 Registration, coffee, tea and bagels and more; participants write preliminary statement (Cox Science
Building, Lecture Hall #126, off lobby)
Morning Session (Cox Science Building, Lecture Hall #126)
9:00

Welcome and Introduction; scope of program series; practicalities

Dr. Harold R. Wanless, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Miami
What is Expected of Delegates; your preliminary statement
Ms. Caroline Lewis, CLEO Institute

9:10 The Reality of Human Produced Global Warming; how global warming works, the influence of the
different gases, residence times; certainties and uncertainties; anticipated changes in drought and
flood patterns and extreme weather events for the coming century.
Dr. Benjamin Kirtman, Department of Ocean Sciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine and
Atmospheric Science, University of Miami
10:00 The Cyclic Drivers of Climate Change Through Geological Time; How Human Activity Has
Overwhelmed the Natural Cycles.
Dr. Larry Peterson, Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine and
Atmospheric Science, University of Miami
10:30 Dynamics and Influence of a Warming Ocean.
Dr. Harold R. Wanless, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Miami

10:50 Ice Sheets, Glaciers and Pack Ice: what they are, how they work, and how they are responding to
human-induced global warming; what they are doing now and will do this century; potential for
catastrophic collapse.
Dr. John Van Leer, Department of Ocean Sciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric
Science, University of Miami
11:30 Human-induced Global Sea Level Rise: current projections and explanations; comparison with the
past; global versus regional influences on sea level change; what to expect for south Florida and
coastal environments globally; pollution with inundation.
Dr. Harold R. Wanless, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Miami
12:10 Lunch Break
1:00

Commitment to Use Your Understanding With Positive Vigor

Rev. Dr. Gerald L. Durley Interfaith Power and Light, Atlanta, Georgia

1:50

Citizens Climate Lobby How Citizens Like You Can Move Congress Toward Bipartisan Climate
Solutions
Mr. Jay Butera, Citizens Climate Lobby

2:30

Strategies for Climate Education and Engagement

Ms. Caroline Lewis, CLEO Institute

3:00

Science and Communications Delegates Discussion with Speakers

3:30

End of Day.

Half the global warming heat added to the ocean has occurred since 1997!

Program for February 27, 2016

126 Cox Science Building, Coral Gables Campus, University of Miami

Day II of II:

Mapping Inundation; Ocean Productivity, Changing Health/

Disease Risks; Accelerating Methane Release;
What We Must Do; GeoEngineering?
Making a Commitment to Educate and Involve Others
(Bring flash drive to receive copy of course materials; at least 8GB)
8:30

Bagels, coffee, tea and more. (Cox Science Building, Lecture Hall #126, off lobby)

9:00

Review and Introduction

Dr. Harold R. Wanless, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Miami

9:05

Mapping Coastal Inundation and Infrastructure Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise. How maps let us
see our likely future.
Mr. Peter Harlem, Southeast Environmental Research Center/GIS-RS Center, Florida
International University

9:35

How Coral Gables is Using Maps to Plan and Prepare.

Honorable Jim Cason, Mayor of Coral Gables

9:50

A Warming and Acidifying Ocean Serious Implications for Life and Productivity
Dr. James Klaus, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Miami

10:30 Changing Health & Disease Concerns with Global Warming and Sea Level Rise.
Dr. Maribeth Gidley, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Epidemiology & Public
Health, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami

11:20 Ice Melt and Sea Level Rise Might Be Much Faster Than Models are Predicting
Dr. Harold R. Wanless, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Miami
12:00 Lunch Break
12:50 Geo-Engineering: Can We Have Our Cake and Eat It Too?
Dr. William Drennan, Department of Ocean Sciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine and
Atmospheric Science, University of Miami
1:15

Effective Climate Communication, personal pitfalls you can avoid.

Ms. Lynn Bauer, CEO, Bauer Financial

1:30

I have found my voice. You must too.

Ms. Delaney Reynolds, The Sink or Swim Project (www.miamisearise.com)

1:45

Speak to Your Sphere Effectively

Mr. Dan Kipnis, Climate Change Lecturer trained by The Climate Project.

2:10

Being Politically Effective

Honorable Dr. Phil Stoddard, Mayor of South Miami and Professor Biology, Florida International
University

2:30

Making a Commitment and a Plan to Educate Others and Achieve Critical Solutions
Ms. Caroline Lewis, The CLEO Institute

3:00

Straining the Fiber of Civilization: What We Lose If We Do Nothing

Dr. Harold R. Wanless, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Miami

3:20

Distribution of materials and certificates. Conclude session.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF SPEAKERS

Ms. Lynn Bauer
Lynn Bauer is Chairman of the Board and owner of Bauer Financial, a premier national bank rating firm
located in Coral Gables. She is a local community advocate, a global philanthropist, and Executive
Director and co-founder of Sunils Home Orphanage in India. She has for the past 14 years used her home
base at Bauer Financial to become a community sponsor and benefactor to many causes that are close to
her heart, including being the sole community advocate for the Academy for Community Education (ACE),
an alternative public high school for high risk children.
A native of New York, Lynn was an entrepreneur from early childhood and has continued to focus on
youth-related charities and activities as a priority in her life. Manned with a Registered Nurse license and
open heart ICU experience, she attended medical school in Santo Domingo, an area with unlimited
opportunities to share medical skills. Weekend jaunts to Cap Haitien, Haiti, where she treated lepers who,
ostracized by society, would cower from humanity as Hansens disease and poverty consumed them. Lynn
returned every week to the woods where they waited for food, medical care and some shred of human
kindness.
Years later as a member of the Consular corps in Puerto Rico, she honed her diplomatic skills and
continued philanthropic works using sales and public speaking skills developed years before in her role
with Pfizer Labs in New York City. Pfizer welcomed her as the first woman to cover their high-dollar
volume Niagara Falls territory and lauded her auditory skills and presentation manner to convey Pfizers
latest research to the Medical community.
In 2005, Lynn was one of three Executive Directors who founded Sunils Home, an orphanage in
Samisragudem, India. During the past ten years they have personally taken on the responsibility of buying
property, building a 6,500 square foot home which now is home to 64 orphans. The children are now in an
English medium private school, and six have advanced to college. Mom Lynn never misses an
opportunity to travel to India with her fianc, Hal Wanless, to build a loving relationship with the children
and attend to their needs, medical care, education and responsible growth into adulthood.
Lynn is a member of many community boards and societies; a leader in community fundraisers; recipient
of a numerous titles and honors for her international humanitarian contributions, including Grand Dame of
the Cross bestowed by Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie of Ethiopia in 2009; Kiwanis International Woman of
the Year in 2011; and a Corner Founder of the Coral Gables Museum. In 2013 she was named MiamiDade County AXA Business Woman of the Year.
Mr. Jay Butera
Jay Butera is Senior Congressional Liaison for Citizens Climate Lobby, a national, non-partisan
organization which motivates and trains citizens to communicate with Congress about federal
climate policy. Much of Jays work on Capitol Hill focuses on making Congress more aware of the
effects of sea level rise and other climate impacts now threatening South Florida.
Citizens Climate Lobby has more than 11,000 member/supporters and over 250 regional chapters.
The entire organization is focused on creating political will for a bipartisan, market-based solution
to carbon pollution through a carbon pollution fee and rebate system which has been endorsed by
leading economists and sanctioned by top climate scientists. The Washington Post recently reported
that CCLs proposed legislation might currently be the only politically-viable approach to federal
climate legislation. (www.CitizensClimateLobby.org)

As a public speaker, Jay is known for his upbeat, solutions-oriented presentations on clean energy,
climate policy and citizen responsibility. He has been keynote speaker at environmental and
educator conferences and he has delivered his "We Can Do This presentation to schools, colleges,
and civic organizations throughout the United States.
Jay has been advocating for clean energy and climate solutions for more than ten years.
He is a past recipient of Penn Future's "Green Power Award" for leadership in federal climate
legislation. In 2009, Jay founded One Million Calls For Clean Energy, a grassroots organization
which has helped over 7,500 citizens voice their opinions to Congress on energy and climate issues.
As an inventor and entrepreneur, Jay successfully built, managed and sold several businesses,
including Cedar Fresh Home Products which he built from a start-up in a two-car garage to an
industrial scale consumer products brand with national and international distribution. Its products
were sold in more than 10,000 retail outlets throughout the United States and abroad. The
company's green products and environmental stewardship were publicly commended by Wal-Mart
and other national retailers.
Jay has published many articles on business, health, environment and other topics. His writings
have appeared in newspapers and national magazines such as Fortune/Small Business,
CNN/Money, Yankee Magazine, GQ, Travel Holiday, The Detroit Free Press, The Providence
Journal, The San Francisco Examiner and in college-level textbooks on entrepreneurial business
management.
A graduate of Brown University, Jay lives near Philadelphia, PA with his family in a solar-powered
house. He commutes regularly to South Florida where he coordinates CCLs Florida strategy. Jays
work is non-partisan, non-profit and funded entirely from his personal finances.
For additional details and contact information, visit www.JayButera.org.
Honorable Mayor James Cason
James Cason graduated from Dartmouth College in the class of 1966, is a Fulbright Scholar, and has
advanced degrees from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University and the
National War College.
He is a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer with more than 45 years of national and international public
service, including extensive experience in Latin America as a leader of multi-agency Embassy communities.
A resident of Coral Gables with a family history in public service, Mayor Cason and his wife Carmen have
two sons and six grandchildren. He is fluent in five languages.
Cason served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and Kingston,
Jamaica. Previously he served as Political Advisor to the Commander of the U.S. Atlantic Command
(USACOM) and to NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic. Cason also served at U.S. missions in
Milan, Italy; Lisbon, Portugal; San Salvador, El Salvador; Panama City, Panama; Maracaibo, Venezuela;
Montevideo, Uruguay; and La Paz, Bolivia.
James Cason served as the chief of the United States Interests Section in Havana, Cuba, from September
10, 2002 to September 10, 2005. As part of the United States' diplomatic embargo against Cuba, it did not
maintain official relations with Cuba. The Interests Section was maintained in lieu of a normal embassy.
Cuban media broadcast a series of satirical animations poking fun at Cason known as Cabo Cason.
From 2006-2008 he served as Ambassador to Paraguay. While posted in Paraguay, Cason learned the
Guarani language, a language spoken by 94% of the people of that country and in 2008, recorded an album,
"Campo Jurado" ("The Field of Promises"), in which he sings folk songs in Guaran.

Mayor Cason has been recognized with: the Presidential Meritorious Service Award, State Department
Distinguished Honor Award, CIA National Intelligence Award, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Meritorious Service Medal, Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Award, State Department Lifetime
Achievement Award, Six State Department meritorious and Superior Honor Awards, and an Honorary
Doctorate from Universidad del Norte, Paraguay. He remains Senior Inspector with the U.S. Department
of State and President of the Center for a Free Cuba.
Jim Cason was first elected Mayor of the City of Coral Gables on April 12, 2011. He was re-elected in 2013
with 71 percent of the vote. He is currently in his third term as Mayor and is taking on a major leadership
role in preparing Coral Gables, Florida, and the Nation for the effects of climate change and using his
influence to involve other government representatives in responsible leadership in response to climate
change.
Dr. William Drennan
William Drennan is Professor of Ocean Science, and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education at the
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
Dr. Drennan received his B.Sc. in Mathematics and Engineering from Queen's University (Ontario), and his
M.Math and Ph.D. in applied mathematics from the University of Waterloo finishing in 1989. He joined
the University of Miami in 1997, following nine years at the National Water Research Institute,
Environment Canada's research laboratory on the Great Lakes.
His research interests focus on conducting oceanographic measurements to better understand processes at
the air-sea interface and, through this, on better understanding aspects of both climate change and
hurricanes. His air-sea interaction research includes studies on turbulence, boundary layers, surface gravity
waves, upper ocean dynamics, fluid dynamics, nonlinear dynamics, and time series analysis techniques.
His research is especially concerned with ocean waves and their impact on atmospheric and oceanic
processes. The research has a large field component with measurements carried out from ships and buoys.
Over the past decade, his research has taken him from the Arctic Ocean during International Polar Year, to
the eye of Hurricane Isabel in one of NOAA's 'Hurricane Hunters'.
Reverend Dr. Gerald L. Durley
The National Park Service International Civil Rights Walk of Fame web page says Dr. Gerald L. Durley
was born in Wichita, Kansas. He grew up in California and graduated from high school in Denver,
Colorado. Being endowed with exceptional basketball skills and a deep interest in improving the civil and
human rights of African Americans, Dr. Durley chose to leave the west and venture south to Tennessee
State University in Nashville, Tennessee.
While earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology, playing on a championship basketball team,
and serving as student government president, he became very active in the civil rights movement. After
graduating, Dr. Durley became one of the first Peace Corp volunteers to enter Nigeria, West Africa. From
Africa he ventured to Switzerland where he enrolled in postgraduate studies at the University of
Neuchantel. While there, he was invited to play for one of the Swiss National basketball teams.
When he returned to the United States, Dr. Durley enrolled in Northern Illinois University where he again
became intensely involved in the struggle for human dignity, and earned one of the first Masters Degrees in
Community Mental Health. He became passionately involved in the struggle for human dignity and
assisted in the founding of the Afro-American Cultural Organization where he taught minorities about their
heritage. He earned a Doctorate Degree in Urban Education and Psychology from University of
Massachusetts and a Master of Divinity Degree from Howard University.

He later founded and became president and CEO of Perspectives International, Inc. to produce positive,
constructive programs for African Americans and other minority communities.
1

Moving to Washington, DC, he became Assistant Branch Chief of Pupil Personnel Services at the U.S.
Office of Education in Washington, D.C. The Institute for Services to Education, Inc. invited Durley to
direct many of its major projects working with historically black colleges and universities.
With his family at his side, Dr. Durley moved to Atlanta, GA and accepted the position as director of the
counseling center at Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University). He later became dean of student affairs
at Clark Atlanta University. His concern for families and children was the catalyst that encouraged him to
accept the position of executive director of Head Start for Fulton and Douglas Counties in Georgia. Durley
also served as the associate pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church while working at Clark. Following his term
at Clark, Durley relocated to Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) in 1990 as the director of their Health
Promotion Resource Center.
Reverend Dr. Durley accepted the position as pastor at Providence Missionary Baptist Church in 1987.
While at Providence, the church grew dramatically and he became known as a warrior preacher. He
retired from the position of pastor in 2012, and since has become a global warrior for climate change.
As an active member of the World Pilgrims Interfaith Community Institute, he has traveled to Israel,
Turkey, Jordan, Morocco, and other destinations with Muslims, Christians, and Jews to better understand
the differences and similarities among people, cultures and beliefs. He has worked across faith lines to
promote interfaith relations, and has been an outspoken advocate for assisting groups and individuals to
communicate across faith disciplines. He is a leading advocate for educating our people on the traumas of
global warming and the greening of American. Involved in the global warming climate change discussions
nationwide, he is calling attention to the fact that global warming is a civil rights issue.
____________________
1

Taken, modified and condensed from The Atlanta Business Journal, Bunnie Jackson-Ransom writer.

Dr. Maribeth Gidley

Dr. Maribeth Gidley is an environmental public health physician and microbiologist who serves as an
assistant scientist with the University of Miami Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies,
formerly with the University of Miamis Oceans and Human Health Center of Excellence, funded by the
National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences
(NIEHS). Dr. Gidley also serves as a contractor with the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and
Meteorological Laboratory, where she works closely with the AOML Environmental and Molecular
Microbiology Program.
Her research focuses on the interactions of beach and water quality with environmental and public
health. Some of her projects include: interactions of harmful algal blooms (HABs) with coastal
communities, beach exposure epidemiologic studies, and prevalence of pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus
(including Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in the coastal environment, particularly at
recreational beaches.
Her research also involves studying the impacts of climate change on topics of Oceans and Human
Health. She received her Bachelors degree in Biology from the University of Tulsa, a Masters (dual tract)
in Microbiology and Education from the University of South Florida, Master of Public Health Tropical and
Infectious Disease Tract from the University of South Florida. She received a Doctorate of Osteopathic
Medicine from Nova Southeastern University, and has completed residencies in Family Medicine and
Public Health/Preventive Medicine.

Mr. Peter Harlem

Pete Harlem is a research scientist at the Southeastern Environmental Research Center at Florida
International University and GIS Coordinator at the FIU GIS and Remote Sensing Center. He was also the
vice-chair of the Miami-Dade Climate Change Task Force Science Committee.
Mr. Harlem received his Bachelors Degree in Geology from James Madison University in Virginia and his
Masters of Science in Marine Geology at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (U of
M) in 1979 where he conducted a historical analysis of the sedimentological and environmental changes in
north Biscayne Bay as shown in aerial photographs. During this time he spent seven years studying under
Dr. Wanless, much of it in a boat loaded with core tubing and could be found many days on the water
anywhere from Dumbfoundling Bay to Fort Meyers examining sediments and sedimentary processes for
Wanless or his other graduate students.
His varied recent research has been focused locally and has included studying coastal marshlands with an
eye toward coastal restoration, understanding karst geology of the Miami area limestones, reconstructing
historical surface flows to Biscayne Bay, documenting nutrient loading to South Florida estuaries, and
creating various kinds of scientific maps, principally using GIS. In 2008 he began using LiDAR mapping
to understand the impacts of future sea level rise and was involved with the four counties programs to
standardize future maps of this type. Currently he spends much of his time with GIS mapping for example
making maps of the historical vegetation patterns of Miami-Dade County using 1920s and 30s aerial
photos for a better understanding of urban ecology and how it evolved. Studying the past changes improves
the understanding of what changes might be coming. Mr. Harlem is co-author on a recent paper which
breaks Florida into seven regions based on shared geomorphology and which examines the impact of sea
level rise far into the future (beyond 2100).
Dr. James Klaus
James Klaus is Associate Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of
Miami. He completed his undergraduate degree and M.A. in Geoscience from the University of Iowa, and
a Ph.D. in Geology at the University of Illinois. His Masters Thesis was documenting changes in
Caribbean reef coral assemblages from the late Miocene to Recent (7-0 Mya). His Doctoral Dissertation
was a characterization of the microbial communities associated with the living tissues of Caribbean reef
corals and the environmental factors that control microbial community composition.
Since joining the University of Miami he and his graduate and undergraduate students have been studying
the dynamics of Neogene reef system in the Caribbean, with the hope of better understanding the climatic
and environmental factors that gave rise to modern reef ecosystems in the region and the stability of these
ecosystems during the closure of the Central American Seaway, and the onset of Northern Hemisphere
glaciation. Recent work has focused on using the warm temperatures and elevated pCO2 levels of the mid
Pliocene as an analog for the conditions we might see within the coming century.
Dr. Klaus and his students are also working to understand the role and ecological dynamics of
microorganisms in shallow marine sediments. Dr. Klaus and his students are working with the University
of Miami Center for Oceans and Human Health to understand the distribution, abundance, and health
impacts of fecal bacteria that reside in the sediments of South Florida Beaches. They are also working to
understand how sediment-associated microbes can play a role in the precipitation and diagenesis of
carbonate minerals. To address these questions, Dr. Klaus and his students apply approaches of molecular
microbial ecology to the sedimentary record. Sediment-associated microbes are studied through cultureindependent techniques. DNA is extracted from sediment biofilms and used characterize microbial
composition.

Captain Dan Kipnis

Captain Dan Kipnis, a Florida Native, grew up fishing the bountiful waters of Biscayne Bay and the
Gulfstream in the late 50s and 60s. He started work as a wash down boy on local charter boats and quickly
rose to the position of fishing mate. Additionally, he worked his fathers 44 Norseman sportfisher (the sister
ship of Miami Herald Chairman, John Knight) locally and extensively in the Bahamas.
Kipnis graduated from the University of Miami, (BFA) and left for graduate school at Washington University
in St. Louis (MFA) following a Fellowship at Yale University. After graduating he moved to the Choco
jungles on the Pacific coast of Colombia, South America, where he built a house and boat in the Pacific coast
jungles. As quoted in the Climate Project web site: It was really about as far out as one could get. To begin
with, we had to build our house (2400 sq. ft., 34,000-palm frond roof, 42 feet tall, on the beach) and boat (a
34-foot canoe carved out of one tree trunk) while we moved equipment from our base in Cali to the jungle.
No power tools. Hunt or catch what you ate each day. Malaria! Hot! Humid! Incredibly beautiful, but
challenging. The project took four years to complete and at the conclusion, the FARC guerrillas burned the
house down. Kipnis says, I feel that this was the most important experience of my life in molding my future
decisions.
Upon returning from Colombia, Kipnis built a 34 foot swordfish longliner and eventually rebuilt the party
fishing boat Reward II and put her into service at Miamiarina. At the same time Kipnis commercial fished
and operated the Pier 5 Fish Market. Additionally, Kipnis found time to help found and sit on the boards of
Pro-Fish and the Atlantic Gamefish Foundation as well as founded and financed the Miami Billfish
Tournament, now in its thirty-third year. Kipnis has served as board or committee member of the Easter Seals
Tournament, University of Miami Shark Tournament, and the Met Tournament, founded and directed the
Florida Billfish Masters Tournament and The Sailfish Tournament (the worlds first carbon neutral fishing
tournament) as well as serving as communications, scoring, rules and master of ceremonies for a dozen other
billfish tournaments around the world.
Originally trained by Al Gore as a presenter with the Climate Reality Project, Kipnis has now given over one
hundred and ninety two PowerPoint presentations to thousands of people, on global warming and its effect
on the oceans and near coastal environments, and now Arctic changes titled, Global Warming The Big
Thaw. Kipnis, an ardent fisheries conservationist has been deeply involved in environmental issues and uses
his past position as past President of the Miami Beach Rod and Reel Club, as a Board Member of the Florida
Wildlife Federation (FWF), committee member to the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council
(SAFMC) and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) to further
champion this important cause. Kipnis served on the Miami Dade County Climate Change Task Force,
applying his environmental expertise as Chairman of the Economic, Social and Health Committee. Kipnis is
Chairman of the City of the Miami Beach Marine and Water Front Protection Authority, serves as the
recreational representative on the Biscayne Bay Regional Restoration Coordination Team, Biscayne Bay
Aquatic Preserve Advisory Committee, and has also served on the Biscayne Bay Management Committee,
Miami River Review Committee, City of Miami Waterfront Board, and was a Commissioner on the State of
Florida Marine Fisheries Commission.
Captain Kipnis has set numerous I.G.F.A. world records and has been awarded the prestigious Al Pfluger
Conservation Award from the Rod and Reel Club on three occasions, The Captain Bob Lewis Memorial
Conservation Trophy and the coveted Henry H. Hyman Award from the Met Tournament.
Kipnis built the three boat fleet of the Reward Fishing Fleet running from Miami Beach Marina and has since
sold the operation, had concentrated on managing fishing tournaments, now retired, and still pursuing
proactive environmental concerns as well as lecturing on critical issues involved with climate change and the
need for action.

Dr. Benjamin Kirtman

Professor Benjamin Kirtman received his BS in Applied Mathematics from the University of CaliforniaSan Diego in 1987, and his MS and PhD in 1992 from the University of Maryland-College Park. From
1993-2002 Dr. Kirtman was a research scientist with the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies and
in 2002 joined the faculty of George Mason University as a tenured Associate Professor.
In 2007, Dr. Kirtman moved to the University of Miami Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric
Science as a full professor and also serves as the Program Director of Physical Sciences and Engineering at
the Center for Computational Science. In 2011, he was appointed Associate Dean for Research for the
Rosenstiel School. In 2008, Professor Kirtman received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at the University of Maryland.
Dr. Kirtman is active in scientific leadership both internationally and nationally. Currently, he is co-Chair
of the NOAA Climate Prediction Task Force and is a member of the NOAA Climate and Global Change
Post-Doctoral Fellowship committee. Internationally, Dr. Kirtman has enjoyed a leadership role in the
World Climate Research Program (WCRP) seasonal-to-interannual prediction activities. In particular, he
has chaired the International Clivar Working Group on Seasonal to Interannual Prediction (WGSIP), and
the WCRP Task Force for Seasonal Prediction (TFSP). Dr. Kirtman is a coordinating lead author for the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) working group one the Scientific Basis, Assessment
Report 5 (AR5), which was released in September 2014. Professor Kirtman is also an Executive Editor of
the prestigious Climate Dynamics journal and is an Associate Editor of the American Geophysical Union
Journal of Geophysical Research (Atmospheres). Dr. Kirtman has received numerous research grants from
the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, NOAA, NASA, and the Office of Naval
Research, and he leads the North American Multi-Model Ensemble Prediction (NMME) Experiment.
Professor Kirtman is the author and/or co-author of over 100 peer reviewed papers focused on
understanding and predicting climate variability on time scales from intra-seasonal to decadal.
Ms. Caroline Lewis
Caroline Lewis is the founder and executive director of the CLEO Institute, a non-profit organization that
provides Climate Leadership Engagement Opportunities. Lewis develops creative, collaborative programs
to significantly increase outreach to diverse audiences. She designed and is currently implementing and
expanding CLEOs outreach to business leaders and elected officials as well as to schools, colleges and the
public at large. Lewis also delivers keynote addresses, facilitates workshops and makes presentations.
Speaking to the power and importance of effective education and interdisciplinary environmental
education, she infuses others with the motivation to make a difference in todays world.
For 22 years Lewis was a science teacher and school principal. She then joined the staff of Fairchild
Tropical Botanic Garden, created the Fairchild Challenge, and, as Director of Education, expanded
programs and partnerships 800%. She has influenced environmental education efforts in institutions around
the United States, including: California, DC, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and Utah; and internationally, including: Botswana, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico,
Netherlands, Peru, South Africa, and Venezuela.
In addition, Lewis serves or has served on teams, boards and committees for organizations, including:
National Environmental Education Advisory Council, American Public Garden Association, American
Horticultural Society, Miami-Dade Executive Board for Science Curriculum and Instruction, the Climate
Literacy Network, the White House Summit on Women & the Environment, and the Conservation Funds
Advisory Panel for the National Forum on Children and Nature. In 2013, Ms. Lewis was one of twelve
individuals nationally, recognized as White House Climate Resilience Champions of Change for her
work. Born and raised in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, Caroline Lewis earned a B.S. in biology and a B.Ed. in
secondary science and environmental science education. Her M.S. is in educational leadership.

Dr. Larry C. Peterson

Larry Peterson is Professor of Marine Geosciences and has been on the faculty of the Rosenstiel School of
Marine and Atmospheric Science at UM since earning his Ph.D. from Brown University in 1984. Dr.
Peterson is a paleo-climatologist who studies the history of climate from deep sea sediment sequences and
has led or participated in more than a dozen coring and/or drilling expeditions in the Atlantic, Indian and
western Pacific Oceans, as well as the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. He has served the international
ocean drilling community as a member of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Science Planning
Committee, the US Science Advisory Committee, and the Site Survey Panel and is past editor of the
American Geophysical Union journal Paleoceanography and chair of the AGU Board of Journal Editors.
From 2009 to 2013, he was Chair of the IMAGES Program (International Marine Past Global Changes)
Executive Committee and has been a Distinguished Lecturer for the American Association of Petroleum
Geologists and for JOI-USSAC. Dr. Peterson served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at RSMAS
from 2006 until early 2010 and holds a joint appointment with the Department of Geological Sciences in
UMs College of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Peterson and his students focus on reconstruction of past oceans and climates from marine sediments,
defining the timing and causes for abrupt climate change, and documenting deep sea sedimentation
processes. They use a spectrum of sedimentologic, paleontological, and geochemical approaches to
reconstruct detailed paleo-oceanographic conditions including use of stable isotope geochemistry of
foraminifera.
Critical to his research was the discovery of the Cariaco Basin, a small anoxic marine basin located on the
northern continental shelf of Venezuela. Here, the lack of oxygen, the virtual absence of sediment mixing
by burrowing organisms, and high sedimentation rates have resulted in preservation of a climatic and
oceanographic record of nearly unparalleled resolution in the western tropical Atlantic. Recovery of
sediments by the Ocean Drilling Program from the Cariaco Basin has allowed study of how climate
variability in the tropics relates to the abrupt changes recorded in high-latitude ice cores, as well as how this
variability influences the burial of organic carbon in a classic anoxic marine setting. Data from these cores
has refined the nature and timing of major climate shifts, including the association of the collapse of the
Mayan civilization with a period of drought which disrupted both agriculture and the ability of the rulers to
be respected as rainmakers. Other regions of current research include the Sea of Japan and the Gulf of
Papua New Guinea.
Ms. Delaney Reynolds
Delaney Reynolds is a Junior at Palmer Trinity School in Miami Florida and founder of The Sink or Swim
Project (go to www.miamisearise.com). She splits her time between Miamis vibrant, cosmopolitan area and
No Name Key, a 1,000 acre island filled with nature and 43 solar powered homes in the Florida Keys.
Her life surrounded by water in the keys is how she became interested in global warming and the threat of
sea level rise to our future. In addition to being a full-time student, Ms. Reynolds is also a published author
and illustrator of three childrens books on ecological topics related to the wonders of No Name Key. The
most recent is an adventure comic book, entitled Where Did All The Polar Bears Go?, published in 2015.
She is currently writing a book for young adults about sea level rise in South Florida.
Shes a graduate of the Outward Bound Academy of Agents of Change Leadership Training, a yearlong
program that took her mountain climbing in North Carolina, hiking to the top of a volcano in Ecuador and
diving with sharks, penguins and sea turtles in the Galapagos. Last week she returned from Marine Biology
Expedition in Hawaii.
Delaney earned a Certificate in Marine Biology from the University of Miamis Summer Scholars
Program, and is a graduate of Vice President Al Gores Climate Reality Training. She sits on The Cleo

Institutes Youth Task Force, is a Dream in Green Youth Ambassador, and on February 26 (yesterday)
gave a TEDx talk here in Miami at the Adrienne Arsht Center about her work on sea level rise.
In school Delaney is a member of the Spanish Honor Society, the Marine Conservation Club, The
Wilderness Club and The Eco Club. She is also the manager of her schools renowned Coral Lab, is a Peer
Counselor, a member of the Diversity Leadership Committee and a shooting guard on the varsity womens
basketball team.
Delaney is actively speaking out about climate change through her web site blog, talks at schools and media
interviews. Her Sink or Swim Project is a community educational program focused on the risks of global
warming and sea level rise in South Florida as well as the solutions that her generation must now undertake
to prevent catastrophic disaster. As you will see it is turning into a global program.
Honorable Dr. Philip Stoddard
Dr. Stoddard received a B.A. in Biology from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the
University of Washington. After post-doctoral efforts at Swarthmore College and Cornell University, he
joined the faculty at Florida International University in 1993 where he is currently Professor of Biological
Sciences. By day he works full time at FIU, teaching biology at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and
running a research lab that studies evolution of communication.
Honorable Stoddard was elected Mayor of South Miami in 2010, was re-elected in 2012 and 2014, and was
just re-elected this February for his fourth term. Mayor Stoddard is a strong proponent of community,
livable cities, quiet neighborhoods, and responsive government. He takes a hard line against corruption.
Mayor Stoddard leads a coalition of South Dade Mayors fighting the FPL transmission lines, an ongoing
battle that he has taken to Tallahassee and the courts. His current campaign Stoddard pledges are to:
support safe streets and calm traffic; push for lower taxes and to keep city spending responsible; work for
neighborhood safety; hold the line against over-development; and keep government honest.
Mayor Stoddard was appointed by the White House to the political body that advises the National Ocean
Counsel. He serves on the Miami Dade League of Cities Energy and Environment Committee, and helps
directs lobbying efforts to protect drinking water and the environment. Mayor Stoddard co-founded the
organization Citizens Allied for Safe Energy. This year Mayor Stoddard was inducted into the CLEO
Leadership Circle for his advocacy on climate change in South Florida.
Dr. John Van Leer
John Van Leer earned a B.S. from Case Institute of Technology in Mechanical Engineering in 1962 and
then spent three and a half years designing and testing re-entry missile guidance systems, while working as
a mechanical/aerospace engineer at the M.I.T. Instrumentation Laboratory, during the peak of the Cold
War. He received a Doctorate of Science in Physical Oceanography from the M.I.T/W.H.O.I. Joint
Program in Physical Oceanography in 1971. Dr. Van Leers oceanographic interests include Arctic Ocean
measurements of under-sea and glacial ice melting, continental shelf measurements, especially in upwelling
regions, and at surface and bottom boundary layers.
He developed and used autonomous moored robotic profilers, called Cyclesondes, to observe over 100,000
repeated profiles of temperature, salinity and currents for months and reported these data in real time by
telemetry in diverse environments from the high arctic to the deep tropics. Dr. Van Leer led the effort
which secured $500K at RSMAS to design and build a sea-kindly, highly efficient, robust catamaran
research vessel with diesel/electric propulsion. The hull form was efficient enough for future sail/solar
hybrid operation should rising oil prices makes diesel use much less affordable. This vessel was designed
around a center well housing a motion-stabilized robotic manipulator system for low wave motion induced
noise for ocean remote sensing, for handling heavy loads and for observatory construction. Spud

anchoring was available for effective shallow water drilling and coring for climate studies. He also
designed & supervised construction and tested the ASIS tether/power buoys which survived 3 successive
hurricanes offshore Cape Hatteras.
Dr. Van Leer was a member of the Science and Technology Committee for Miami-Dade County Climate
Change Task Force. He is also The Special Advisor to the Broward County Climate Change Taskforce.
He wrote the Epilogue for: The Ecological Constitution, A Swiss Draft, presented to the United Nations on
May 8, 2007 in New York City. He has campaigned for swift and deep carbon dioxide reductions with the
Union of Concerned Scientists and Economists on Capitol Hill in 2008. Dr. Van Leer serves on the Board
of the Urban Environment League (UEL) focusing on mass transportation, renewable energy, green
building and future sea level impacts. The UEL has been leading the ongoing, City of Miamis Virginia
Key Planning Process. He spearheaded construction of a system of safe Bicycle Paths along the
Rickenbacker Causeway with a dedicated additional lane on all three bridges with exceptional protection
from crossing traffic. As vice chair of the School Council, he lead an effort to save the MAST Academy
building and its 15 waterfront acres for RSMAS repurposing. He is teaching, for the eighth time, an
undergraduate course in Sustainable Living (ECS 310) at the University of Miami. Dr. Van Leer is very
active with Citizens Climate Lobby and 350.org on pricing carbon and divestment issues respectively. He
frequently guest lectures for student and civic groups on sustainability issues. In an earlier life, Dr. Van
Leer built drag racers commercially. He now drives a Tesla, which has similar acceleration but gives him
greater safety and is charged in part from his rooftop PV array.
Dr. Harold R. Wanless
Hal Wanless is Professor and Chair of the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Miami.
He received his B.A. in Geology at Princeton University, his M.S. in Marine Geology at the School of
Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami, and his Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences
at Johns Hopkins University. His Masters Thesis was documenting the evolution of sedimentary
environments in Biscayne Bay as rising sea level flooded the Bay over the past 6,000 years. His Doctoral
Dissertation was a paleo-environmental reconstruction of the early Paleozoic (Middle Cambrian) sediment
strata in the Grand Canyon, a sequence recording dozens of marine to non-marine depositional sequences
resulting from repeated pulses of natural sea level rise and fall on a gradually subsiding continental margin.
In 2010, he was named a Cooper Fellow in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Miami. In
2011 and 2012 he was named one of the Hundred Most Influential People in Miami by Poder Hispanic
Magazine.
He and his graduate and undergraduate students have been studying the dynamics and evolution of coastal
and shallow marine environments of south Florida, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos since the mid
1960s, especially focusing on the influence of sea level and hurricanes and on the short- and long-term
dynamics of tropical wetland, sandy coastal and shallow marine communities.
He also maintains a research program in paleo-environmental reconstruction of ancient reefal and other
limestone sequences. Since the early 1970s he has led frequent field training trips for students, energy
companies, and others to modern and ancient tropical marine environments throughout north America.
Over the summers of 2012 and 2013, he and his fiance, Lynn Bauer, have spent time in Greenland
observing the rapidly accelerating ice melt on the Greenland Ice Sheet and in Europe documenting the rates
of alpine glacier retreat. Ice Sheet Dynamics in response to a warming ocean and atmosphere is the single
critical factor that will determine the future of the coastal areas of the world, including south Florida.
Dr. Wanless and his students are now applying their knowledge of the nature of and past environmental
response to sea level changes towards improved predictions of future sea level rise and the effects on our
coastal and shallow marine environments. He has been speaking on accelerating sea level rise since the

1980s. Dr. Wanless is actively interacting with policy and legislative groups at the local to federal levels to
guide necessary decisions, including speaking at Everglades Coalition annual meetings, to various city,
county and state legislative committees, environmental and industry executive and steering committees,
and the Council on Environmental Quality in the White House. He was co-chair of the Science Committee
of the Miami-Dade County Climate Change Advisory Task Force (2007-2011) and has worked with the
South Florida Regional Planning Council to provide the science background for and projections of sea level
rise for the coming century.
The CLEO Institute
The CLEO Institute creates an informed and engaged public that is more willing to make changes and
support climate resilience efforts locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. CLEO stands for Climate
Leadership Engagement Opportunities, and we provide these to elected officials, business and community
leaders, students, teachers, and the public at large. CLEOs focus on climate change initiated as a result of
the first Empowering Capable Climate Communicators series in 2011.
CLEOs focus is on Climate: The Science - The Seriousness - The Solutions, locally, regionally,
nationally, and globally. By making this information accessible to general audiences, everyone can find
and share their voice on climate change and, ultimately, embrace climate resilience. Indeed, CLEOs
initiatives serve as catalysts for more in-depth knowledge and civic engagement in the issue. CLEO, as
funding allows, also provides periodic professional development and practice sessions for our Speakers
Network. To become involved contact http://www.cleoinstitute.org.
PROJECTED INUNDATION FOR SOUTH FLORIDA

TODAY

+2 feet (by 2048 to 2066)

Maps by Harold R. Wanless at MHHW tide levels

+ 4 FEET (by 2074 to 2100)

+ 6 FEET (by 2094 to 2122)

Projected inundation dates from NOAA, 2012: Global Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the United States National Climate Assessment