Climate Impacts Group

Climate Impacts Group, partners release fourth PNW Water Year Assessment

As drought persists across parts of Washington and the Pacific Northwest, a team of scientists have developed an annual assessment to help water managers and agricultural producers prepare for dry conditions and other weather extremes.

The fourth Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Assessment, released today, summarizes variations in temperature, precipitation and snowpack across Oregon, Washington and Idaho in 2023. Additionally, it details the impacts of these variations on key sectors such as agriculture and drinking water, and how sectors responded to these impacts. For the first time, a summary of the assessment is also available in Spanish.

The assessment is one product of a collaborative process between water managers and scientists at the Office of the Washington State Climatologist, the Climate Impacts Group, Oregon Climate Service, Idaho Department of Water Resources and NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS). 

CIG and partners mark release of Fifth National Climate Assessment

Climate Impacts Group scientists were among hundreds of authors of the newly-released Fifth National Climate Assessment. The assessment, released roughly every four years by the The U.S. Global Change Research Program, assesses the effects of climate change on a wide range of sectors and for 10 geographic regions across the U.S. 

The assessment captures a range of potential impacts and aims to help decision-makers better identify and understand climate risks that could be avoided or reduced. Over a three-year period, authors synthesize individual studies, data and models and apply best expert judgment to characterize certainty.

Dr. Crystal Raymond, climate adaptation specialist at the Climate Impacts Group, and Erica Asinas, formerly a research scientist at the Climate Impacts Group and now at Urban Oceans Lab, are authors on the Northwest Chapter. 

NW Resilience Collaborative launches Community Grants Program

The Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative is accepting applications for funding of climate resilience projects through its Community Grants Program. The Resilience Collaborative, a program of the Climate Impacts Group, seeks to fund justice-focused, environmental and climate projects that advance community-centered resilience priorities. Nonprofits, community organizations and Tribes in Washington, Idaho and Oregon that serve frontline communities are eligible to apply. Letters of Interest for the Community Grants are due February 28, 2023. 

An informational webinar for potential applicants will be held virtually on Friday, January 20, from noon-1 p.m. Registration is required.

Grants can support projects on a range of topics, including capacity-building, developing resilience plans, implementing and evaluating resilience strategies, documenting climate and environmental impacts and more. 

Announcing two Spanish-language reports on climate impacts in Washington

The UW Climate Impacts Group and several community partners are excited to share two Spanish-language reports on the impacts of climate change for Washington State. The reports — Sin Tiempo Que Perder and Cambiando las Líneas de Nieve y las Líneas de Costa — were originally published in English in 2018 and 2020, and are written for a general audience including policy makers, community organizers, journalists and the public.

Warmer temperatures, more severe floods, intensifying wildfires — the impacts of a changing climate are already being felt across Washington, and affect some communities disproportionately. We must engage and mobilize all communities to make real progress in preparing for the effects of climate change. 

Request for Qualifications: Seeking artist for commissioned piece on climate resilience

Call Summary

The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group is seeking qualifications for a two-dimensional visual art piece depicting climate resilience in the Northwest. This call is open to emerging artists located in the Northwestern United States. We define emerging artists as artists who have not received a commission greater than $10,000 or do not have commercial gallery representation.

Applications are due Monday, February 22. The selected artist will be announced in late March. The selected artist must complete their work by June 30, 2021, and present their work at a celebration for the Climate Impacts Group’s 25th anniversary at the end of June or in early July (exact date to be determined). 

Amy Snover to Moderate 1/29 Panel on Climate Migration

Climate Impacts Group Director Amy Snover will moderate a panel on climate migration Friday, January 29, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. The panel will feature three University of Washington professors; Sara Curran, of the Department of Sociology; Jeremy Hess, of the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences; and Nathalie Williams, of Sociology. Learn more about the panelists and the event on the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences’ website.

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The panel will build on a day-long workshop on climate migration hosted by the Climate Impacts Group in 2016. 

CIG Director Presents at Insurance Commissioner’s Climate Summit

Dr. Amy Snover, director of the Climate Impacts Group, was among several leaders advancing climate resilience who presented at the Climate Summit hosted by Washington state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler. Dr. Snover discussed Pacific Northwest climate change science: Impacts, risks & vulnerabilities. View a recording of her presentation as well as other talks from the Summit.  

Climate change poses risks to insurers and consumers alike. Insurance companies must be prepared to pay increased property, life and health claims resulting from a changing climate. The virtual 2020 Climate Summit brought together a national audience of climate, government and insurance professionals to understand and explore how climate change affects our communities, regulatory efforts and businesses.   

Beyond video games: virtual reality brings science to life

Work led by CIG scientist Heidi Roop and supported by an EarthLab Innovation Grant is highlighted in this article by the UW College of the Environment. 

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.

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

Climate Science on Tap: Climate Change (Mis)information

Dr. Heidi Roop, lead scientist for science communication with the UW Climate Impacts Group, spoke on a panel of experts on the topic of misinformation in climate science. The panel included Jevin West, assistant professor at the iSchool and director of the Center for the Informed Public and John Cook, assistant professor at the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University.