Climate Impacts Group

The climate crisis is pushing Washington’s prisons to the brink

Many of Washington’s 12 prisons have been pushed to the brink by public health crises and years of neglected maintenance. Climate change could send them over the edge. Meade Krosby, research scientist in the UW Climate Impacts Group, is quoted, and a UW Climate Impacts Group report is mentioned in this article by High County News.  

New funding for the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative supports work in flooding, wildfire smoke

The Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative is starting two exciting new projects this year that will support adaptation to flooding and wildfire smoke, thanks to funding from NOAA and the Department of Commerce. These projects are: 

Stories as science: Integrating lived experience and community knowledge into actionable adaptation science in Pacific Northwest and Pacific Islands regions. This project brings together researchers and storytellers from the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative, the Pacific Research on Island Solutions for Adaptation program and Tikkun Olam Productions. A recent story from the Resilience Collaborative highlights how this project aims to elevate the experiences of frontline communities while testing the oral history process as a novel method for co-producing science and guiding adaptation. 

Climate Impacts Group participating in improv/science event

At the Climate Impacts Group, we’re always interested in creative and novel ways to communicate about climate change. So when we were invited to partner with an improv troupe, we said “yes, and!” 

Dr. Guillaume Mauger, lead scientist at the Climate Impacts Group, will be presenting on his work on climate adaptation and flooding for “Mad Science,” a theater event blending science and improv comedy. Hosted by Seattle Rep and Bandit Theatre on Friday, November 10, at 5 p.m., the event will feature two environmental scientists giving short “lightning” talks, followed by an improv show based off of their talks. 

We’re excited to see what comes out of this fruitful + funny partnership! 

NCRC and partners to pilot groundbreaking co-production method

Building resilience to climate change requires many diverse areas of expertise, experiences and knowledge. Though they have historically been marginalized from climate preparedness efforts, people of color, Indigenous peoples, people with lower incomes and people whose lives depend on natural resources — known collectively as “frontline communities” — have innovative solutions for building resilience to climate change impacts. 

The Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative and partners are piloting a groundbreaking method for elevating first-hand experiences and visions of climate resilience and solutions, with the goal of incorporating community knowledge into efforts to prepare for climate impacts. Partnering with the documentary storytelling organization Tikkun Olam Productions and the Pacific Research on Island Solutions for Adaptation program, a trans-disciplinary research team will record the oral histories of frontline communities facing flooding and other climate change impacts. 

Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative releases second annual report

The Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative is pleased to share the results of our last year of work advancing the climate resilience priorities of frontline communities! 

A few highlights from the report include:  

Partnering with Oregon Rural Action. Our Rural Resilience Portfolio is partnering with Oregon Rural Action to support their coordination and editorial input on research products and their efforts to connect our researchers with the community.
Conducting Tribal Listening Sessions in Oregon and Washington. Our Tribal Coastal Resilience Portfolio has conducted five listening sessions with a total of 33 participants, representing 20 Northwest coastal Tribes.
Developing a Climate Justice summer program.

The increasing risk of flooding: What solutions are Washingtonians considering to manage flooding as the climate changes? – Part One

As the climate changes, the risk of flooding is increasing in some watersheds. That means how Washingtonians approach floodplain management is changing, too. Guillaume Mauger, a research scientist at the UW Climate Impacts Group, is interviewed for Northwest Public Broadcasting.  

Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative Announces Community Grant Awardees

The Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative is thrilled to announce the five awardees of the Community Grants Program. Community Grants fund justice-focused, environmental and climate projects that advance community-centered resilience priorities. These one-year grants support nonprofits, community organizations and Tribes from Washington, Idaho and Oregon. 

More than 40 organizations submitted letters of intent and nearly 20 organizations were invited to submit full applications. Applications were reviewed by a group of UW faculty and community experts independent of the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative. They were evaluated based on their relevance to climate and environmental justice and impact on frontline communities. Learn more about the organizations and their projects: 

Black Star Farmers 

Location: Seattle, Wash. 

University of Washington Awarded Federal Funding to Host an Expanded Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center

The University of Washington has been awarded $7.4 million to continue hosting the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) for the next five years, leading a broad consortium of Northwest university and tribal partners to support natural and cultural resource managers in responding to climate risks and promoting regional resilience. The Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington has hosted the NW CASC since 2017, during which time the Center has led ambitious partnerships and programming.

“We’re excited for this opportunity to expand our partners and programs to better serve the Northwest in preparing for climate risks and building regional resilience,” says NW CASC University Director, Meade Krosby. 

Register Today for the Water Year 2023 Recap & 2024 Outlook Meeting

The 18th annual Oregon-Washington Water Year Meeting: 2023 Recap and 2024 Outlook will be held as two virtual morning meetings on Wednesday, November 1 and Thursday, November 2. There is no cost to attend but you are required to register. 

The goal of this meeting is to share and gather information regarding climate impacts of the 2023 water year. The extended summer of 2022 into fall, drought development across Washington and northwest Oregon, drought improvement over southeastern Oregon, and rapid spring snowmelt will be topics of discussion. This meeting will also offer the opportunity to learn from others about mitigation actions that were taken through group discussion. 

PBS: Washington Climate Crisis

As our summers become hotter and our skies fill with wildfire smoke, Western Washington seemingly gets deeper into a climate crisis. Dr. Nick Bond was part of a panel of UW climate experts discussing climate change. “In the Hot Seat: Saving Lives from Extreme Heat in Washington State” is also referenced.