Climate Impacts Group

Stories of Building Climate Resilience Lecture Available to View

From Cliffs to Coasts: Stories of Building Climate Resilience, originally held live on Zoom on December 3, 2020, combines storytelling and panel discussions to highlight examples of communities and organizations building climate resilience in the Northwestern United States and Canada. Climate Impacts Group partners and scientists discuss efforts to prepare for rising sea levels and ensure wildlife across the Pacific Northwest have access to suitable habitat.

This lecture is one in a three-part series of events marking the 25th anniversary of the Climate Impacts Group. The second and third lectures will be held online in January and March, 2021. For more information and to register for these events, visit the 25th anniversary event page. 

DEADLINE FOR NW CLIMATE CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS EXTENDED TO 12/4

** THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT ABSTRACTS FOR THE NORTHWEST CLIMATE CONFERENCE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4. **

The Northwest Climate Conference Program Committee invites practitioners, scientists, tribal members and community organizers working to build a climate-resilient Northwest to submit abstracts for the 11th Northwest Climate Conference. Abstracts are due Friday, December 4. The 11th Northwest Climate Conference, hosted by the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, will take place online on April 6-8, 2021. 

We welcome abstracts for oral presentations, poster presentations and special sessions. A special session is for a group of speakers who would like to work together to present on different aspects of a common theme. 

Director’s Corner: A Voyage of Discovery

The Climate Impacts Groups’ first grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Science Administration charged the team of scientists with a “voyage of discovery.” 25 years and even more discoveries later, the group at the University of Washington is still on a scientific quest to support climate-smart decision making across the Northwest region. 

Setting sail — without a map

When Edward Miles established the Climate Impacts Group in 1995, he wanted to advance the conversation about — and action on — climate.

Miles, University of Washington Professor of Marine Affairs, saw a large gap between the scale of information produced about climate change and the needs of people who could help prepare for climate risks. 

NW CASC Paper Calls for Transforming Science Training to Build Capacity for Actionable Climate Adaptation Science

How can we mobilize science to support the transformational global action required by climate change? By creating a new type of scientist. A new open-access paper in the journal Environmental Research Letters emphasizes the need for science training that builds collaborative science skills at different career stages to develop a strong community of practice around actionable climate science. The paper, Building capacity for societally engaged climate science by transforming science training (Rozance et al. 2020), draws from the experiences at the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center and the University of Arizona Climate Assessment for the Southwest, to offer a perspective on a path for the academy to better develop, train and support scientists to conduct societally-relevant research. 

Register & learn more about our 12/3 virtual lecture

This year, the Climate Impacts Group marks 25 years of building climate resilience through rigorous science and innovative, cross-sector partnerships. Join us Thursday, December 3, 6–7:30 p.m. P.T. as we kick off the celebrations with our first of three virtual lectures – From Cliffs to Coasts: Stories of Building Climate Resilience.

This event will combine storytelling and panel discussions to highlight examples of communities and organizations building climate resilience. Climate Impacts Group partners and scientists will discuss efforts to prepare for rising sea levels and ensure wildlife across the Pacific Northwest have access to suitable habitat. Learn more about our panelists and moderator below! 

Director’s Corner: Celebrating 25 Years of Building Climate Resilience

This year, the Climate Impacts Group marks 25 years of building climate resilience through rigorous science and innovative, cross-sector partnerships. We are excited to spend the academic year celebrating efforts across the Northwest to prepare for the effects of climate change. We invite our partners, fellow scientists, supporters of our work and members of the public to join us.

Over the next six months, we will host three virtual lectures related to climate resilience.

Our first event, scheduled for Thursday, December 3, features Climate Impacts Group scientists and partners in discussion about efforts across the state of Washington to prepare for rising sea levels and shifting ecosystems. 

CIG Project Finalist for International Competition Honoring Science Breakthroughs

A project led by Dr. Heidi Roop, formerly the strategic communications lead at the Climate Impacts Group and now assistant professor of climate science at the University of Minnesota, is a finalist for Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year. The project combines data visualizations and virtual reality to illustrate the impacts of sea level rise in South Seattle. Heidi started the project, which was funded by an EarthLab Innovation Grant, while working for the Climate Impacts Group.

As a finalist for “Falling Walls,” Heidi created a five-minute video describing her project and its impact. The video features Heidi responding to prompts ranging from: “Introduce your science engagement initiative in one sentence” and “How does society benefit from your initiative?” to “What did you want to become as a child?” The video guest stars Heidi’s eight-month-old daughter. 

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.   

Washington Commissioner’s Climate Summit Highlighted Area, Global Vulnerabilities

“The insurance buying public wants to know that insurance is going to be available and affordable to them when they need it.” That was the take-home message from Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, who hosted a half-day virtual summit on climate change on Wednesday. Dr. Amy Snover, who spoke at the summit, is quoted.  

Healthy Planet, Healthy People

Five experts in climate science and low-carbon infrastructure at the University of Washington wrote about how we can recover from a climate crisis during a health crisis. Amy Snover is one of the five featured experts. 

“Rebuilding our collective lives post-pandemic requires attending to all of the intertwined systems that we depend on. Responses to COVID-19 must incorporate solutions for climate change and racial justice. Recovery investments must accelerate decarbonization, not pause it — and advance preparation for rising climate stresses, not punt on it. In a world of compound risks, we must insist on compound solutions. We don’t have enough time, money or planet to do it any other way.” – Amy Snover