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91���� Professor Expert in Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise

Colin Polsky, Ph.D., an expert on environmental research, is available to discuss how melting ice in the Arctic affects people, infrastructure, and ecosystems worldwide.

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On Aug. 31, U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to world leaders at the State Department’s Conference on Global Leadership in the Arctic, which took place in Anchorage, Alaska. The conference highlighted global environmental issues; in particular, how melting ice in the Arctic affects people, infrastructure, and ecosystems worldwide.  

The Florida Center for Environmental Studies is at the forefront of this issue, and its director, Colin Polsky, Ph.D., an expert in climate change, sea-level rise and environmental research, is available to speak with media on this important topic. 

The Florida Center for Environmental Studies is planning a conference in spring 2016 titled, “A Warming Arctic: Shared Futures from Alaska to Florida, the Third Sea-level Rise Summit.” Participants will share critical information about the impact of the Arctic melting, which can be felt worldwide, and will compare and contrast impacts and responses to climate change, highlighting opportunities for building coastal resilience both locally and globally.  

Founded in 1994, the Florida Center for Environmental Studies is recognized nationally and internationally for its work on coastal resilience and wetlands ecology. The mission of the Center is to facilitate environmental research and education opportunities at 91���� with state, national, and international partners to achieve a more environmentally sustainable future.

Polsky is trained as a geographer, specializing in the human dimensions of global environmental change. His background in mathematics, humanities, French, geography, and science and international affairs (from the University of Texas, Penn State, and Harvard, respectively) has led to a sustained interest in advancing knowledge of U.S. climate vulnerabilities, in both methodological and applied terms. 

As part of several interdisciplinary teams, Polsky has received National Science Foundation (NSF) grants totaling nearly $18 million of which $1.7 million has been directed to his stewardship. His publications include 28 peer-reviewed articles, two co-authored books, 18 book chapters, and 13 other reports; he has delivered close to 100 public presentations in eight countries. Polsky has served as co-convening lead author for a chapter in the 2013 National Climate Assessment, served on the National Research Council, NSF, and U.S. Global Change Research Program committees, and prepared reviews for several Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports.

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