Bios of APP staff

Robert W. Corell, PhD,
Senior Policy Fellow

Gina M. Eosco, Communication Research Associate

Genene M. Fisher, PhD,
Senior Policy Fellow

Paul A. T. Higgins, PhD Senior Policy Fellow

William H. Hooke, PhD, Director and Senior Policy Fellow

Pamela Stephens, PhD, Visiting Senior Policy Fellow

Wendy Thomas
Program Associate

Jan Wilkerson
Administrative Assistant

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Paul A. T. Higgins, PhD AMS Senior Policy FellowPaul A. T. Higgins, PhD

Senior Policy Fellow

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Phone:  (202) 737-9006, ext. 433
Fax:  (202) 737-9050

Paul Higgins is a Senior Policy Fellow with AMS. From 2005-2006 he was a Congressional Science Fellow through the American Association for the Advancement of Science. During his fellowship, he worked on climate policy in the United States Senate. From 2003-2005 he was a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the University of California. He received Ph.D. & M.S. degrees from Stanford University and a B.S. from The University of Michigan. He is a former fellow of the Department of Energy’s Global Change Education Program.

Paul tries to help society confront global climate disruption (global warming). His scientific research examines atmosphere-biosphere interactions as they relate to the causes and consequences of climate change. His policy efforts include creating new options, analyzing existing legislative approaches, and developing risk management strategies that can overcome contentious political obstacles to climate policy. He also works to inform policy makers, members of the media, and the general public about climate science and policy options. While working in the U.S. Senate he developed provisions to encourage international cooperation and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in ways that broadly benefit a wide range of stakeholders.

Paul organized and leads a web commentary project focused on climate policy, oversees the AMS-UCAR Congressional Science Fellowship Program, and helps train Earth scientists to engage the federal policy process.

                                                                        

Selected publications

Higgins, P.A.T. A mitigation framework for maximum climate protection. In review.

Higgins, P.A.T. Design principles and remaining needs for U.S. federal climate policy: emission fees. In review.

Higgins, P.A.T. Carbon cycle amplification: how optimistic assumptions cause persistent underestimates of potential climate damages and mitigation needs. Climatic Change. In Press.

Higgins, P.A.T. Disturbance. In: Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather. Oxford University Press. In Press.

Higgins, P.A.T. U.S. Federal Climate Policy: Design Principles and Remaining Needs. Part 1: Emission Fees. An AMS Policy Workshop Report. American Meteorological Society. Washington, DC.

Higgins, P.A.T. 2008. Science in the policy process: rational decision-making or Faustian bargain? Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 89(5):688-690.

Higgins, P.A.T. 2008. Federal climate policy: design principles and remaining needs. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 89(1):102-103.

Srinivasan, U.T., Carey, S.P., Hallstein, E., Higgins, P.A.T., Kerr, A.C., Koteen, L.E., Smith, A.B., Watson, R., Harte, J., Norgaard, R.B. 2008. The debt of nations and the distribution of ecological impacts from human activities. PNAS. 105:1768-1773.

Higgins, P.A.T. 2007. A year to solve the climate problem. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 88(8)1181-1185.

Higgins, P.A.T. 2007. Biodiversity loss under existing land use and climate change: an illustration using northern South America. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 16:197-204.

Higgins, P.A.T. 2006. Toward an optimal approach for health and transportation. Environmental Conservation. 33(3):184.

Higgins, P.A.T., and Harte, J. 2006. Biophysical and biogeochemical responses to climate change depend on dispersal and migration. BioScience. 56(5):407-417.

Higgins, P.A.T., Chan, K.M.A., and Porder, S.  2006.  Bridge over a philosophical divide.  Evidence & Policy.  2(2):251-257.

Higgins, P.A.T.  2005. Exercise based transportation reduces obesity, oil dependence, and carbon emissions.  Environmental Conservation.  32(3):197-202.

Higgins, P.A.T., and Schneider, S.H.  2005.  Long-term potential ecosystem responses to greenhouse gas induced thermohaline circulation collapse.  Global Change Biology.  11(5):699-709.

Higgins, P.A.T., and Higgins, M.  2005.  A healthy reduction in oil consumption and carbon emissions.  Energy Policy.  33(1):1-4.

Higgins, P.A.T.  2004.  Biogeochemical and biophysical responses of the land surface to a sustained thermohaline circulation weakening.  Journal of Climate. 17(21):4135-4142.

Higgins, P.A.T., and Vellinga, M.  2004.  Ecosystem responses to abrupt climate change: teleconnections, scale, and the hydrological cycle.  Climatic Change.  64(1-2):127-142

Higgins, P.A.T., Masterandrea, M.D., Schneider, S.H.  2002.  Dynamics of climate and ecosystem coupling: abrupt changes and multiple equilibria.  Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London series B-Biological Sciences.  357(1421):647-655.

Higgins, P.A.T., Jackson, R.B., desRosier, J.M., Field, C.B. 2002. Root production and demography in a California annual grassland under elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide. Global Change Biology.  8(9):841-850.

 

 

 

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