Greg Fishel, severe weather expert Kerry Emanuel to host climate talk

The event is Thursday, April 16, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WRAL.com will also live stream the event and host a live chat.

Emanuel is the Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Atmospheric Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. One of the world’s leading authorities on severe weather, his research interests focus on tropical meteorology and climate with a specialty in hurricane physics. Emanuel’s interests also include cumulus convection, the role of clouds, water vapor, upper-ocean mixing in regulation of climate and advanced methods of weather prediction.

Emanuel’s writings include the books “Divine Wind: The History and Science of Hurricanes” and “What We Know about Climate Change.” He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and in 2006 was included in Time Magazine’s “100 People who Shape Our World.”

The presentation and interview is the first in a new series, “The Nature of Science: A Town Hall with Greg Fishel,” designed to provide in-depth discussions with prominent scientists as they explore the major scientific issues of our time. The series is inspired by Albert Einstein’s view that, “To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.”

Greg Fishel said Emanuel's approach is in the best spirit of these real advances in science.

"What struck me about him was his practicality. He is contributing to our understanding of hurricanes while acknowledging the need for a risk-assessment-based approach to future impacts," he said. "We admit we don’t know everything, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know anything — we are and always will be on a quest for science to explain our world and inform our decisions going forward."

Audience and viewer participation are encouraged. The program includes a question-and-answer session, and live-stream viewers may ask questions on the WRAL.com live chat or on Twitter using the hashtag #ofishelquest.

Introductions will be given by Jim Goodmon, president and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Company Inc., and museum Director Emlyn Koster.

WRAL-TV and Capital Broadcasting Company are proud to sponsor this event.