Climate Institute

Mexico and Latin American climate protection

The Climate Institute is building the world’s highest climate observatory (15,000 ft/4500 m) atop Sierra Negra in Pico de Orizaba National Park in the State of Puebla.  The Observatory has been named in honor of Sir Crispin Tickell, Chairman Emeritus of the Climate Institute, who has helped greatly to catalyze climate protection efforts in Mexico and the world.  The High Altitude Global Climate Observation Center will measure greenhouse gases and dust particles to track global and regional climate and assess hurricane risk, creating an opportunity for extensive environmental study and filling the gap in the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), which currently lacks an observation center anywhere in the broad mid-section of the Americas (Mexico, the southern United States, Central America, and the Caribbean).

Building on public excitement and national pride in Mexico’s having the world’s highest climate observatory, the Climate Institute is launching an Interactive Climate Awareness and Response Network in Mexico.  This evolving network seeks to link the Tickell Observatory and climate theaters in several museums and Observatory outreach centers.  On February 20, 2009 a Tickell Observatory Education and Outreach Center was opened in Flor del Bosque², an environmental education park in Puebla.  In its first two weeks over 7,000 visitors received a 37 minute multimedia presentation on climate change implications.  The network is continually expanding across Mexico, Latin America and the United States; by 2010 it is anticipated that as many as 20,000 visitors each week will experience comprehensive multimedia presentations on climate and be introduced to tools to enable them to become problem solvers, working on innovative adaptation and emissions reduction. The network will leverage other partnership efforts the Climate Institute is undertaking - a national climate awareness campaign with CICEANA, work with Climate Lab to enable climate network visitors to participate in this evolving wiki on climate solutions, and work with states and industry groups.³

Global Sustainable Energy Islands Initiative (GSEII)

While Small Island Developing States (SIDS) produce only a tiny fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions, many, because of their location barely above sea level, are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change such as sea level rise and extreme weather conditions.

The GSEII is a consortium of international NGOs and multi-lateral institutions that has been organized to support the members of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) by bringing renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, models, and concepts together in sustainable energy plans for small island nations. The GSEII seeks to showcase national efforts to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.³

Education and outreach

In 2007, the Climate Institute published Sudden and Disruptive Climate Change: Exploring the Real Risks and How We Can Avoid Them, a reference work concerning the  risks of global warming and practical measures that can be taken both to adapt to and slow the apparent acceleration in the pace of climate change.  The Climate Institute also publishes a quarterly newletter, the Climate Alert, in print since 1988.⁴