Climate Impacts Group

Northwest Climate Conference to be Held April 6-8, 2021 

The 11th Northwest Climate Conference, hosted by the UW Climate Impacts Group, will be held Tuesday, April 6—Thursday, April 8, 2021. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the conference will be held entirely online.

The NW Climate Conference annually brings together more than 500 researchers and practitioners from around the region to discuss scientific results, challenges, and solutions related to the impacts of climate on people, natural resources and infrastructure in the Northwest. The conference also provides a forum for presenting emerging policy and management goals, as well as information needs related to regional climate impacts and adaptation. Conference participants include policy- and decision-makers, resource managers, and scientists from academia, public agencies, sovereign tribal nations, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. 

Webinar Series: Using Climate Information in Water Utility Planning

 This webinar has passed. To learn more about the project and view the webinar recordings, please visit the project page.

Tuesday, August 11,
9–10:30 a.m.

Learning How to Adapt to a Changing Climate: A Collection of Case Studies from Water Agencies Throughout the U.S.

REGISTER

Tuesday, August 18
9–10:30 a.m.

Climate Adaptation in Public Works led by Fred Buckenmeyer, Director of Public Works, City of Anacortes

REGISTER

Tuesday, August 25
9–10:30 a.m.

Throw Away Your Crystal Ball: A Stress Testing Approach to Infrastructure Planning Under Climate Change Uncertainty

REGISTER

This three-part webinar series is designed to help small and medium water utilities plan and design for climate change. 

Hear from six CIG scientists at May 26 EarthLab Showcase

Interested in the work happening at the University of Washington and beyond to address climate change and other large-scale environmental challenges? The UW EarthLab All-Hands Showcase is your opportunity to attend virtual lightning talks from more than 20 professionals all working toward a healthier, more sustainable future. Six scientists from the Climate Impacts Group and the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center are among those presenting. The Showcase will take place Tuesday, May 26, 1–3 p.m., via the video-conferencing platform Zoom.

EARTHLAB ALL-HANDS SHOWCASE: REIMAGINING OUR WORLD’S FUTURE TOGETHER

Tuesday, May 26, 1–3 p.m.

RSVP 

EarthLab brings together University of Washington expertise to address large-scale environmental challenges, making a positive impact on people’s lives and livelihoods. 

CIG Director Amy Snover to present remotely for Lake Chelan Rotary

Dr. Amy Snover, director, Climate Impacts Group, has been invited to lead a talk for the Lake Chelan Rotary this week. Snover will discuss how communities can identify and manage climate risks. Members of the Lake Chelan Rotary will receive a link to the virtual presentation. 

Webinar: Bridging the Gap Between Science and Decision-Making

How can we best connect decision makers with climate science? Dr. Amy Snover, director, UW Climate Impacts Group, discusses this question in a webinar hosted by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Snover breaks CIG’s work into three different goals:

Educating key actors about climate risks and response options
Enabling the use of climate science in risk assessment and management
Embedding scientists in management contexts and science in management processes

To illustrate these areas in action, Snover draws on two examples – building a Sea Level Rise Toolkit with the Washington Coastal Resilience Project, and developing the Tribal Vulnerability Assessment Resources alongside tribal nations. 

Dr. Snover to Give Virtual Briefing on Linking Science & Action

Director Dr. Amy Snover will give a Livecast briefing for Congressional staff and the broader community on Thursday, April 16, 9–9:45 a.m. PT. In her briefing, “Bridging the Gap Between Science and Decision-Making,” Dr. Snover will discuss the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group and Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center’s programs and methods for advancing climate resilience in the Northwest. The briefing is sponsored by the non-partisan Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Dr. Snover will appear as part of the Institute’s Climate Adaptation Data Week, a briefing series focused on coastal climate adaptation data needs and applications.

Amy Snover to speak at UW panel on science communication

What’s the value of scientists communicating about their own research? How can scientists best partner with communications professionals? CIG Director Amy Snover and several other UW experts will discuss these questions and more at a University of Washington College of the Environment panel on Wednesday, March 4. The panel will also feature Michelle Ma, assistant director of UW News and David Montgomery, professor in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences.  Molly McCarthy, managing director of marketing and communications for College of the Environment, will moderate.

This panel is part of a series of events bringing together University of Washington faculty, staff, postdocs and graduate students who want to explore and engage in science communication and outreach. 

Upcoming Webinar: A Spatial Planning Tool for Biodiversity Conservation under Climate Change

CIG’s Andrew Shirk will be giving a Conservation Biology Institute webinar on Thursday, November 14th at 10 AM PT about a new spatial planning tool that he is helping to develop as part of his work with the Cascadia Partner Forum.

The Cascadia Partner Forum (CPF) is a network of natural resource practitioners in Washington and British Columbia. A primary goal of the partnership is to provide a regional-scale organizational framework to conserve Cascadia’s biodiversity, which is under threat from an expanding human footprint and a changing climate. The partner forum has developed a climate adaptation strategy that seeks to foster greater coordination across land manager boundaries and provide a timely and up-to-date regional perspective to inform local land-use decisions. 

Input Session: Pacific Northwest Drought Early Warning System Regional Implementation Plan 2020-2022

The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and partners in the Pacific Northwest Drought Early Warning System (PNW DEWS) are going through the process of updating the regional implementation plan for the period of 2020-2022. The regional implementation plan sets priorities, outcomes, and activities the PNW DEWS network wants to undertake together to improve drought early warning and preparedness for the region. This virtual input session is being offered for those who were not able to attend the in-person October 2019 meeting where the draft plan was put together. The session will begin with an overview of the draft and an opportunity for discussion and further input to the document. 

Oregon/Washington Water Year Recap & Outlook Meeting – Register Today!

Join us on November 5th, 2019 in Portland, Oregon for the Oregon/Washington Water Year 2019 Recap and 2020 Outlook Meeting!

The is a one-day workshop to review the climate events and impacts of the 2019 water year, provide forecast information for the upcoming water year, and learn about new resources on drought and climate variability. The collective debrief on impacts of the past water year is critical for identifying vulnerabilities and opportunities for increasing drought and general climate resilience in the future. One goal of this year’s meeting is to increase participation of water and hydropower utilities, especially smaller and rural utilities.