[Vision2020] Spokesman-Review 8-16-12: Gonzaga Graduate in Spokane Representing the U.S. State Department on Climate Change.

[Ted Moffett]

http://m.spokesman.com/stories/2012/aug/16/less-shouting-more-discussion-urged-in-debate-on/

*Mike Prager* The Spokesman-Review

August 16, 2012 - Updated: 9:47 a.m.

Griffin Thompson wants to turn down the heat on the debate over
climate change.

The Spokane native and graduate of Gonzaga University is in Spokane this
week representing the U.S. State Department and the Obama administration on
global climate change.

“Climate change is really a hot-button issue,” he said in an
interview Wednesday.

“People are yelling at each other and not talking to each other,” he said.
“That is not helpful.”

Americans can put their heads in the sand and believe that the climate is
not warming or they can face reality and try to do something about it,
perhaps creating new economic activity, Thompson said.

He is a senior climate-change program manager and branch chief within the
State Department’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and
Scientific Affairs.

Thompson said the Obama administration accepts the preponderance of
scientific evidence showing that the climate is warming and that much of it
is caused by humans.

“The administration is convinced of the science and believes that climate
change is a threat,” he said.

Economic disruption, drought, severe weather and political unrest are
likely consequences, he said.

The U.S. military agrees that global warming could become a destabilizing
factor and “force multiplier,” Thompson said.

In response, the State Department has developed a series of programs aimed
at mitigating environmental consequences, including deforestation, and
promoting clean energy.

His branch of the agency is working closely with local and state
governments as well as utilities and businesses to encourage global
exchanges of information and technology. They are also working on
development of policies and incentives for private investment, all under
the umbrella of Obama’s Global Climate Change Initiative.

Thompson is encouraging leaders in Spokane to apply for entry into a
U.S.-China EcoPartnership program that will provide assistance in opening
new markets and opportunities in energy and the environment.

Change is already occurring in the U.S., where the 1.4 percent growth in
gross domestic product last year was accompanied by a 2 percent reduction
in carbon emissions, he said. It was the first time emissions shrank while
the economy grew.

Coal use in the U.S. has declined by 6 percent while the use of natural gas
and alternative energy sources has increased.

Clean energy offers a range of economic opportunity, he said.

His trip here is part of a “hometown diplomacy” effort that recognizes that
change often starts on a local level.

“We can engage in honest dialogue and do it in a way that helps the
economy,” Thompson said.

Thompson, a graduate of Shadle Park High School, returns to the area
frequently to visit family members. After graduating from Gonzaga with a
bachelor’s degree in English, he moved away from Spokane in 1977. He earned
his master’s degree at Arizona State University and a doctorate at
Georgetown University, both in political philosophy.

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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
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