Global Warming Blockbuster May Lead to Faster Industry Adoption of Strategies to Reduce GHG Emissions

LONDON, UK, June 3, 2004 — Over the past holiday weekend Hollywood released a new blockbuster movie that attempts to portray the adverse impacts projected to result from global warming as a consequence of increasing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). Despite worldwide mandates such as the Kyoto Protocol to reduce GHG emissions, the burning of fossil, or carbon, fuels for transportation, heating, and electricity continues to rise around the world.

In order to make the movie more dramatic, the film takes considerable creative license interpreting the science about the speed and severity of the impacts of GHG emissions. Drama and hype aside however, the events portrayed in the movie will raise general awareness regarding climate change, and the frequency of extreme weather events that may occur as a result of global warming.

"While no credible scientists are forecasting that New York City will succumb to instant freezing or that multiple tornadoes will hit Los Angeles within the short timeframe illustrated in the movie―history has taught us that major climate shifts have been known to occur within one to two decades and that these shifts may happen even more abruptly,” says Craig Ebert, Managing Director of ICF Consulting’s Climate Strategy Practice. “We should not assume that climate change is only a series of gentle, gradual, or imperceptible changes over a long time period.”

According to Ebert, an important outcome from the release of this movie will be increased public pressure to identify innovative and cost-effective ways to engineer a shift to a lower carbon economy. “Fortunately, there is a growing base of knowledge within the public and private sectors on how this shift can best be accomplished,” says Ebert.

Abyd Karmali, ICF Consulting’s Director of European Climate Change Services adds, “Over the past fifteen years, we have been working with governments and leading companies in more than 50 countries to develop carbon management strategies. We have found that market-based instruments such as emissions trading are well suited to minimizing the overall costs of reducing emissions. In addition to the longer-term environmental rewards, companies can reap significant reputation and investor relations benefits as early as ‘the day after tomorrow,’ by taking substantive action to reduce their carbon footprint.”

ICF International (Nasdaq: ICFI) partners with government and commercial clients to deliver consulting services and technology solutions in the energy, environment, transportation, social programs, defense, and homeland security markets. The firm combines passion for its work with industry expertise and innovative analytics to produce compelling results throughout the entire program life cycle, from analysis and design through implementation and improvement. Since 1969, ICF has been serving government at all levels, major corporations, and multilateral institutions. More than 1,800 employees serve these clients worldwide. ICF’s Web site is http://www.icfi.com.

For Immediate Release Contact: Douglas Beck 1.703.934.3820