Climate Impacts Group

Climate Impacts Group Contributes to Recommendations on Washington Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report

The Washington state legislature tasked the Washington state Department of Ecology, with support from the Climate Impacts Group, to analyze recent national and international climate reports and provide recommendations to Washington lawmakers on whether to amend Washington state’s statutory limits on greenhouse gas emissions (RCW 70A.45.040).

National and international reports on climate change, like the fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s sixth assessment report (IPCC AR6) provide broad information on climate change impacts for the nation and globe. Though useful, this information is often too broad to inform local-scale climate resilience efforts in Washington state.

Previous reports on climate impacts for Washington state have focused on assessing changes at future time periods (e.g., 2050s) and under specific future climate scenarios. 

Funding Opportunity for Washington Coastal Tribes

The Climate Impacts Group is launching a small grants program, the Washington Coastal resilience and Adaptation Funding for Tribes (WA-CRAFT), to support the climate adaptation work of Washington coastal Tribes. In alignment with our commitment to honor Tribal sovereignty and self-determination, the program was co-designed with Tribal partners. Guided by their feedback, the program is designed to be non-competitive, low-barrier, and unrestricted to maximize flexibility and accessibility of funds.

In this time of funding uncertainty, we are honored to support the original stewards of this land as they continue their vital work—work that has sustained Tribal communities since time immemorial.

Learn more and apply by August 11, 2025 

UW Libraries hosting alternative access to federal climate data

In light of growing concerns for the continued availability of federal climate data and tools, we would like to point you toward an ongoing effort at UW Libraries to gather alternative links to federal climate resources and websites. 

You can find a current list of these alternative access links at UW Libraries. This list includes links to archived versions of government webpages (for example, via the GovWayback archive and others) as well as a section titled ‘Climate, energy, & environmental data’ which lists access links for various climate datasets and tools. This list is by no means comprehensive and is likely to expand. 

CIG Update: Termination of the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative

Dear supporters of the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group,

We are deeply saddened to report that the Acting Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Grants Management Division sent a letter on May 5th terminating the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative (NCRC), effective immediately. The NCRC, a NOAA Climate Adaptation Partnership (CAP) program, was the Climate Impacts Group (CIG)’s largest source of funding to work with rural communities and Tribes across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho to adapt and build resilience to climate impacts such as extreme heat, flooding, drought, and sea level rise.

CIG has hosted the NCRC, a collaboration among academic institutions and Tribal- and community-based organizations, since 2021. 

CIG Update: Federal Funding Uncertainty & Potential Program Impacts

Dear supporters of the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, 

We appreciate the role each of you has played in our collective efforts to help make communities, Washington state, and the Pacific Northwest more resilient to extreme weather events, climate variability, and climate change over the past 30 years.  

We wanted to share with each of you an update regarding federal funding for two of our programs: 1) the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative (NCRC), a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funded Climate Adaptation Partnership program, and 2) the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC), a federal-consortium partnership funded by the US Geological Survey (USGS). 

Susan Dickerson-Lange Joins UW Climate Impacts Group as the New Director

The Climate Impacts Group (CIG) has named Susan Dickerson-Lange as its new director. In her role, Dickerson-Lange will provide strategic leadership for CIG, driving financial stewardship and fundraising while supporting the team to deepen partnerships and expand offerings advancing climate resilience in the Pacific Northwest.

New report from Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative shares both barriers and paths to climate resilience for Northwest Coastal Tribes

Along the Washington and Oregon coasts, rising sea levels and changes in ocean chemistry are combining with increasing river floods and other land-based impacts of climate change. These changes hold serious consequences for coastal communities, aquatic ecosystems, fisheries and infrastructure. 

The Tribal Coastal Resilience Portfolio of the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative conducted an assessment over two years to better understand the state of climate adaptation among Northwest coastal Tribes, and to elevate Tribes’ experience of key barriers and needs which, if addressed, could help advance Tribal resilience.

The assessment was informed by a review of Tribal climate documents and other relevant reports, as well as a series of listening sessions with Tribal staff, citizens and elected officials. 

Climate Impacts Group releases new strategic plan

The Climate Impacts Group has released a new strategic plan to guide the next five years of our work. Among several key priorities, the strategic plan reflects a commitment to centering equity in climate adaptation, with particular attention to environmental justice and community resilience. 

This commitment to equity will shape our approach to all of our work. We will be organizing our work into four priorities — action-oriented research, decision making, capacity-building and communications. An additional fifth priority — fundraising — is crucial to ensuring CIG can deliver greater impact across our first four strategic priorities.

“This marks a really important moment for the Climate Impacts Group,” Jason Vogel, interim director of the Climate Impacts Group, says. 

NW CASC University Director Meade Krosby Joins Secretary Haaland’s New Advisory Council for Climate Adaptation Science

Dr. Meade Krosby, senior scientist at the Climate Impacts Group and university director of the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, has been chosen to serve on Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland’s new Advisory Council for Climate Adaptation Science (ACCAS). Dr. Krosby will join 18 other Council members, including representatives from state agencies, Tribal governments, universities, nonprofits and the private sector, in advising the Secretary on the operations and priorities of the Climate Adaptation Science Centers.

As a member of the Advisory Council, Meade will provide recommendations on the Climate Adaptation Science Center’ national science priorities, key partnerships and science delivery to natural and cultural resource managers. 

Washington State Climatologist’s Office Joins Forces with Climate Impacts Group for Enhanced Climate Action

Following two decades of close collaboration, we are excited to announce that the Office of the Washington State Climatologist is joining the UW Climate Impacts Group. With a shared commitment to advancing climate services, this collaboration marks a significant step towards a more unified approach to addressing climate-related challenges in our state and region. 

This strategic decision brings together two leading organizations dedicated to understanding the region’s weather and its impacts on time scales of days to decades. The Office of the Washington State Climatologist has long been recognized for its expertise in interpreting and contextualizing today’s weather and climate trends within the broader context of climate change.