Climate Impacts Group

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. 

Now Open! Call for Abstracts and Sessions at Virtual Northwest Climate Conference, October 2-4

Organizers of the 12th Northwest Climate Conference (NWCC) are now accepting abstract and session proposal submissions for this year’s Conference, to be hosted virtually by Boise State University on October 2-4, 2023. For more than a decade, this conference has provided a networking and learning community for practitioners, scientists, tribal members and community organizers interested in climate change impacts and adaptation in the Northwest.

SUBMIT ABSTRACT OR SESSION PROPOSAL 

Climate Impacts Group & partners release report in English and Spanish aimed at preventing heat-related illness and death in Washington

Texto en español a continuación

Two years ago, in the summer of 2021, Washington experienced the deadliest weather disaster in the state’s history with days of record-breaking heat. More Washingtonians died from heat exposure each day during the 2021 heat dome than die from heat exposure in a typical summer.

The devastating impacts of the heat dome, coupled with projections that extreme heat events will be more frequent and more intense as the climate changes, serve as a call to action to address heat vulnerability across our state. 

In the hot seat: Saving lives from extreme heat in Washington state describes the problem of extreme heat and outlines specific, actionable guidance for short-term emergency response and long-term risk reduction. 

NW CASC seeks research fellowship program proposals

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center invites proposals for its 2023-2024 Research Fellowship Program from graduate students at University of Washington, Boise State University, Oregon State University, University of Montana, Washington State University and Western Washington University and from postdoctoral scholars at Boise State University, Oregon State University, University of Montana, Washington State University and Western Washington University (this fellowship cannot support postdocs at the University of Washington).

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center’s Research Fellowship Program supports research related to climate adaptation for Northwest natural and cultural resource management and provides training in the principles and practices of developing decision-relevant science. 

Wide-open spaces for TerrAdapt 

The large-landscape conservation planning tool has spun into an independent non-profit, with CIG’s Andrew Shirk at the helm

When Andrew Shirk and two colleagues first conceived of the large-landscape conservation planning tool, TerrAdapt, in 2018, they knew they were starting something special.

Shirk, research scientist at the Climate Impacts Group, Carly Vynne, biodiversity and climate team lead at RESOLVE, and Gregory Kehm, principal advisor at Gregory Kehm Associates, knew they wanted to help fill a gap in regional-scale conservation planning. “Managers often have great local information to inform natural resource management within their boundaries, but rarely have access to the big picture regional-scale view needed to cooperatively manage the resource across boundaries,” Shirk says. 

NW Climate Adaptation Science Center welcomes new deputy director

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center is excited to welcome Dr. Scott Kalafatis to the team as the new deputy university director! Scott is a social scientist with a research background focused on understanding collaborations between scientists and policymakers and how these engagements contribute to decisions informed by climate science.

The UW Climate Impacts Group is the host of the Adaptation Science Center, a federal-university partnership dedicated to helping fish, wildlife, water, land and people adapt to a changing climate.

Learn more about Scott on the Adaptation Science Center’s website. 

New Chapter for Climate Impacts Group Director Amy Snover

Dr. Amy Snover, director of the UW Climate Impacts Group, is retiring on June 15, 2022, having worked for the Climate Impacts Group for more than 20 years and served as the director for nearly a decade. In her time at the Climate Impacts Group, Amy has grown and strengthened our team and programs significantly. Amy led the team in successful applications to host the USGS-funded Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center and the NOAA-funded Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative, broadening the scope and reach of our work. She has developed enduring partnerships with policymakers, resource managers, researchers and others across the Northwest and beyond. 

New Chapter for CIG Researcher Harriet Morgan  

After seven years with the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, Harriet Morgan is leaving to start a new chapter as the Climate Coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). In her new role, Harriet will be collaborating with internal and external partners to facilitate the development and implementation of a coordinated agency response to the impacts of climate change. This includes building off the agency’s recently developed report ‘Preparing Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for a Changing Climate: Assessing Risks and Opportunities for Action.’

As a Research Scientist with the Climate Impacts Group, Harriet has been involved in many facets of climate resiliency across the region—from planning to implementation.