KU News Release

KU experts meet with Kansas energy and environment group

LAWRENCE — On May 20, David Braaten and Johannes Feddema, both professors of geography at the University of Kansas, met for the first time with other members of the Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy Advisory Group in Wichita. Earlier in the month, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius named the two KU experts to the panel that is tasked with exploring how the state could cut greenhouse gas emissions.

“The meeting went very well, and the advisory group is off and running,” said Braaten.

Braaten’s research interests span atmospheric science, remote sensing and glaciology. He serves as deputy director of the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, a Science and Technology Center established by the National Science Foundation to develop technologies and computer models that measure and predict sea-level changes in response to mass balance of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.

“It’s an honor to be selected to serve on the Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy Advisory Group, and to have the opportunity to work with such an interesting and diverse group of people,” Braaten continued. “I hope that my expertise in atmospheric science will contribute to the development of sound recommendations.”

Feddema investigates human impact on the Earth’s surface and the consequences of these actions on the environment. He also was a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report. Last year, the panel and former Vice President Al Gore were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.”

“I’m honored to have been selected to KEEP,” said Feddema. “I believe KEEP represents a positive step in facing the potential challenges posed by climate and environmental change on the Kansas environment and economy. It’s my hope that KEEP will help the state to identify and take a lead role in developing alternative energy resources and creating new economic opportunities.”

Last year, Sebelius formed the Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy Group — a set of energy experts, environmental researchers, business leaders and government officials — to to develop a comprehensive climate plan for Kansas.

“Experts agree that Congress will institute a carbon tax in the coming years,” Sebelius said in a statement. “By taking steps to prepare now, we better position our state for potential costs in the future. This group will recommend ways we can reduce our greenhouse gas emissions while continuing to grow our economy.”

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