Bringing Climate Science to Society

Dr. Shindell engages in many efforts to bring scientific knowledge to the public and to decision makers. This includes participation in national and international assessments, providing expertise to Congress, federal agencies, or bodies such as the Arctic Council nations, educational talks and coursework, etc. Some of those efforts and/or their products can be accessed below (see also the Bringing Science to Congress page for testimony).

Chair of the Scientific Advisory Panel to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (2012-present)

The Panel brings the latest scientific knowledge directly to the participating nations and institutions to inform their decision-making regarding efforts to simultaneously improve air quality and mitigate climate change by reducing emissions of short-lived climate pollutants. As of Nov. 2021, there were 73 country partners and more than 50 non-state partners (such as the World Bank, the Carbon Disclosure Project, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN, several Development Banks, the World Health Organization and many non-governmental organizations).

In Nov. 2017, the Coalition was given an Ozone Award for Political Leadership in recognition of the Coalition’s efforts to push for the adoption and ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. The award was presented at the Twenty-Ninth Meeting of the Parties to that Protocol. Of the 21 countries ratifying the Kigali Amendment by that time (20 were needed for it to enter into force), 14 were Coalition members.

More about the Coalition can be found at the CCAC website here.

Member of the Science Advisory Board, US EPA (2021-2023)

Chair of the Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions (2021)

This Assessment was produced by the UN Environment Programme and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and released in May 2021. It helped catalyze global efforts to reduce methane emissions and in particular supported the launch of the Global Methane Pledge at COP26 in Glasgow in which more than 100 countries pledged to reduce their methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030 (relative to 2020).

More about the Global Methane Assessment can be found here

Additional information on the rationale for methane reductions and the response to this Assessment can be found on the “Multiple Benefits of Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Controls” page.

Lead Author of the 2021 UN Environment Emissions Gap Report

He co-lead the chapter “The role of anthropogenic methane emissions in bridging the emissions gap within the annual report on actual and projected emissions trends relative to those needed to meet the world’s climate goals. Current national pledges are close to 2°C but well short of 1.5°C and most countries are not currently on track to meet their pledges.

More about the 2021 UN Environment Gap Report can be found here.

Coordinating Lead Author; 2018 Special Report of the IPCC on Global Warming of 1.5

He co-led the chapter “Mitigation pathways compatible with 1.5°C in the context of sustainable development” within this report requested of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) by the parties to the Paris Climate Agreement.

More about the IPCC SR1.5 can be found here.

Lead Author of the 2017 UN Environment Emissions Gap Report

He co-lead the “Bridging the gap – The role of short-lived climate pollutants” chapter within the annual report on actual emissions trends relative to those needed to meet the world’s climate goals. Current national pledges are only ~1/3 of those needed to meet the Paris Climate Agreement’s targets in the least expensive manner.

More about the UN Environment Gap Report can be found here.

Coordinating Lead Author of the 2013 Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR5)

He co-led the “Anthropogenic and Natural Radiative Forcing” chapter within Working Group I (the Physical Science Basis), and was a contributing author to three additional chapters. He was also a co-author of the Summary for Policy Makers.

More about the IPCC AR5 can be found at the IPCC website here.

Chair of The UNEP/WMO Integrated Assessment of Black Carbon and Tropospheric Ozone (2011)

This Assessment provided a thorough, multidisciplinary analysis of the climate, human health and agricultural impacts of black carbon and tropospheric ozone. It provided a menu of emissions control strategies using existing technology that would produce dramatic improvements in human health and agricultural yields while simultaneously reducing the rate of near-term climate change, helping to launch the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.

Download the Summary for Decision Makers (pdf).

Download the Full Report (pdf).

See also the related paper: Shindell, D. et. al., Simultaneously mitigating near-term climate change and improving human health and food security, Science, 335, 183-189, 2012. (available on Multiple Benefits of Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Controls page).

Co-developer of a Climate Change course for science teachers created by the American Museum of Natural History with support from NASA’s education program (2010-2011)

This course was updated after a decade of widespread use with a new version completed in 2022.

Watch a video discussing Dr. Shindell’s research that accompanies the course posted on vimeo.

Co-Chair of “Climate Projections Based on Emissions Scenarios for Long-Lived and Short-Lived Radiatively Active Gases and Aerosols”, Synthesis & Assessment Product 3.2 of the US Climate Change Science Program (2008)

The report is available at the US CCSP webpage here.

Co-author Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (2005)

The report is available from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program here.

Co-author UNEP/WMO Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion (1998, 2002, 2006)

These reports are all available here.