Climate Impacts Group

UW Climate Impacts Group and partner organizations launch the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative 

The UW Climate Impacts Group, along with nine community, nonprofit, and university partners, is launching a program of community-led, justice-oriented climate adaptation work across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. The Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative will be founded with a five-year, $5.6 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The program will be one of eleven across the country funded through NOAA’s Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments program.

The Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative will advance efforts to adapt to climate change in frontline communities — communities that have been excluded from spaces of power and who are disproportionately facing the impacts of climate change. 

CIG Director to Present at Upcoming WA Insurance Commissioner’s 2021 Climate Summit

Dr. Amy Snover, director of the UW Climate Impacts Group and the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, will present on Climate Risk in the Pacific Northwest at the virtual 2021 Climate Summit. The summit will be hosted by Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler on October 6, 2021.

As climate change impacts like wildfire, smoke and flooding are increasing across the Northwest, insurance companies are experiencing increasing property, life and health claims. The Climate Summit brings together a national audience of climate, government and insurance professionals to discuss how climate change is affecting our communities, regulatory efforts and businesses, and what we can do to prepare for increasing risks in a warming climate. 

Outdoor recreation industry fears for future as these changes impact the North Cascades

As climate change alters the fabric of the Pacific Northwest, increasing the frequency and severity of heatwaves, wildfires and precipitation extremes, outdoor recreation outfitters are scrambling to adapt their business models to shorter seasons and unpredictable conditions. CIG science is referenced.  

Tacoma’s Owen Beach undergoing makeover to protect against rising sea levels

Construction is underway to redesign Owen Beach in Tacoma to make it more resilient against rising sea levels. Research by the UW Climate Impacts Group is referenced.  

Climate change reaps another victim: Mount Rainier’s snowpack

Snow on Mount Rainier is melting earlier and in greater quantities as temperatures rise. Guillaume Mauger is quoted.  

What drives big wildfires in western Washington? This meteorological phenomenon is a factor

Western Washington doesn’t always get strong east winds, but when the winds do arrive, they can lead to huge wildfires. This story references research funded by the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center.  

UW CIG Hiring for Two Climate Justice-Focused Positions

The UW Climate Impacts Group is now hiring for two positions focusing on climate justice and working alongside frontline communities. These positions will help to lead, launch and sustain a new climate justice-focused collaborative at the Climate Impacts Group.

The Frontline Community Climate Resilience Scientist will have a unique opportunity to advance the theory and practice of climate services provision to frontline communities while working collaboratively with Native American tribes, rural communities and communities of color. This position will involve leading and supporting research projects in climate resilience and climate justice; participating in strategic planning; coordinating and communicating across leadership and our partner organizations; among other responsibilities. 

UN climate report: Human activity is driving climate change. Where does that leave Washington?

The UN-appointed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Sixth Assessment Report, known as the AR6 WG1, on August 9, 2021. It addresses the current state of the global climate, how climate change is shifting, how humans are the leading cause, and possible climate futures. Matt Rogers is quoted.

“In my research I have seen a lot of people on the ground in Washington state take climate change into consideration and how they prepare their communities for upcoming changes and what we can expect as climate changes. It is really heartening. We can always do more, and there are people working on it, but it’s going to take all of us.” – Matt Rogers 

Now Hiring: Climate Justice Research Program Integration Specialist

The UW Climate Impacts Group is hiring a new, full-time Climate Justice Research Program Integration Specialist to help launch and sustain our climate justice-focused research collaborative. To skip straight to the full job description, click here.

The Program Integration Specialist will act as the primary point of contact between our partner organizations, which include community-facing partners, non-profits and academic researchers across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. The Integration Specialist will work closely with the Frontline Community Climate Resilience Scientist – a new position that is also accepting applications.

The Specialist will contribute to the success of all aspects of the CIG’s flagship climate justice research program. 

‘Every part of a degree of warming that we can avert will make the future better’

Researcher Amy Snover explains why the IPCC report matters, what it says about climate change in the Northwest, and how communities can prepare.

“This will just keep getting worse until we stop it,” Snover said. “The science is really clear that every bit, every part of a degree of additional warming makes the future worse, which means that every part of a degree of warming that we can avert will make the future better. I do this work because the future isn’t written yet. We’re actually writing it every day we live, and I want to be part of making the future better.”