Why this institute exists

Every month since April 2009, Raymond N. Johnson has written a column called Climate Science, published in the Plattsburgh Press-Republican and here. Each one takes a single question — what the carbon dioxide record shows, why the Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else, what happened to the price of solar power — and answers it from the measurements, in plain language, with the sources named.

Alongside the columns we publish reports, keep the Climate Commons collection of sources, and speak to schools, colleges and community groups across northern New York.

Latest column Transitions Often Brings Out Creativity, New Ideas and Solutions September 2026

Ray speaks to classrooms, college courses, service clubs, libraries and community groups, mostly in the North Country and the Champlain Valley. Talks are built around the audience: a middle-school assembly, a college seminar and a Rotary lunch are not the same talk.

New York now requires climate education in its schools: the Board of Regents adopted that requirement in March 2026. New Jersey was first, adopting standards in 2020 that took effect in September 2022. The Essential Principles of Climate Literacy — eight of them, in the third edition published by the U.S. Global Change Research Program in 2024, the first update in fifteen years — are the framework most of this teaching is built on, and they are the frame we use as well.

To arrange a talk, write to info@icsusa.org with the audience, the date and roughly how long you would like.

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  Raymond N. Johnson, Ph.D.Founder and Director · Chazy, New York

  Ray spent more than thirty years in research and development as an organic and analytical chemist. He writes the monthly Climate Science column, speaks across the region, and is the reason the institute exists.

• 
  Scott DanvilleScience Research & Content Curator/Editor · Plattsburgh, New York

  A New York State AP Environmental Science and Earth Science teacher, in the classroom for more than 30 years, and a New York State Master Teacher Emeritus. He produced the film Halting Hades and looks after this site.

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  Lauren E. Eastwood, Ph.D.Research Contributor · Plattsburgh, New York

  Specializes in environmental policy and governance research.

info@icsusa.org
P.O. Box 329, Chazy, New York 12921

The institute is run by volunteers. Corrections, questions and invitations are all welcome at that address.