VOL. 23, NO. 9	NOVEMBER 14, 1997

Hearing news of global warming: Reps. Charles Rangel (D.-N.Y.) and Nita Lowey (D.-N.Y.); Graciela Chichilnisky, director of the Program on Information and Resources; Chairman of the House International Relations Committee Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R.-N.Y.), and Peter Eisenberger, vice provost for the Earth Institute and director of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

s a result of information gleaned from a visit to Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory's Open House in early October, Chairman of the House International Relations Committee Benjamin Gilman (R.-N.Y.) invited Peter Eisenberger, vice provost for the Earth Institute and director of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, and Graciela Chichilnisky, director of the Program on Information and Resources, to present a briefing in Washington to members of the House of Representatives and their staffs on Global Climate Change, in preparation for the Kyoto Conference. Gilman will be one of the leaders of a Congressional delagation to Kyoto.

  At the conference, delegates from developing and developed nations will discuss global climate change and potential targets for reducing human-induced global warming agents.

  The Oct. 30 briefing, hosted by Gilman and Reps. Charles Rangel (D.-N.Y.) and Nita Lowey (D.-N.Y.), was attended by 65 staff members from Congressional offices. It was coordinated by Ellen S. Smith, Columbia assistant vice president and director of federal relations; International Relations Committee Counsel Mark Kirk, and Faye Yates, Earth Institute director of external relations.

  Eisenberger opened the briefing by discussing both the factors contributing to climate change and human-induced climate change processes.

  Chichilnisky then briefed the gathering on policies to prevent climate change and on her concept for an International Bank for Environmental Settlements.

  Assessing the briefing, Gilman said: "Lamont-Doherty is one of the prime assets of my congressional district and our region. The Observatory has taken giant steps toward making us all understand the world around us. I am extremely grateful for the outstanding briefing that we were afforded last week and look forward to being able to utilize more information from Lamont-Doherty in the future."

  Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the Program on Information and Resources are both units within the Columbia Earth Institute, which was launched Jan. 1 to research and develop creative innovations for wise stewardship of our planet.