Climate Impacts Group

America’s Year of Fire and Tempests Means the Climate Crisis Just Got Very Real

Record-breaking wildfires and hurricanes were just the most high-profile effects of global heating — and this is only the start. 

“All of the systems that society depends on were designed to function in the climate of the past,” Snover, Climate Impacts Group director, told the Guardian. “But we no longer live in the climate of the past. The climate disruption brought by warming, changes in precipitation, changes in storms and changes in sea level is destabilizing the foundation of all these systems at once.”  

How Climate Change Affects Wildfires, Like Those in the West, and Makes Them Worse

The consequences climate scientists have long been warning about are coming to fruition in the increased intensity of natural disasters around the globe, recently in the form of devastating wildfires that ravaged the western states and enshrouded areas not plagued with flames under hazes of smoke. 

“These are not unprecedented events,” Dr. Crystal Raymond, climate adaptation scientist, told ABC News. “Scientists know these types of fires burned in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but it’s the frequency at which they are now burning that has become a concern.”  

REGISTER: Oregon-Washington Water Year Meeting, October 28 & 29

The Oregon-Washington Water Year 2020 Recap & 2021 Outlook Meeting will be held as two virtual meetings on the mornings of October 28 and 29. The annual water year meeting is an opportunity to review climate-related impacts of the previous water year and learn about the forecast for the upcoming water year.

In addition to hearing from the forecast experts, both days will include time for discussion and peer-to-peer learning. We encourage participation from a wide range of sectors including utilities, agriculture and forestry.

Register

Day 1: October 28; 9 a.m. to noon P.T.

The first day will feature a recap of the 2020 water year with a focus on extremes — from winter flooding to drought to wildfire. 

Burnt, Like I Am: After Fires Burn Through Colville Reservation, Efforts Underway to Recover, Adapt

Siblings Jimmy Timentwa and Elaine Timentwa Emerson describe the fires that burned through the Colville Reservation. Dr. Crystal Raymond is quoted. A brief on climate change, created for the Colville Tribes, is referenced.  

Northwest Climate Conference to be Held April 6-8, 2021 

The 11th Northwest Climate Conference, hosted by the UW Climate Impacts Group, will be held Tuesday, April 6—Thursday, April 8, 2021. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the conference will be held entirely online.

The NW Climate Conference annually brings together more than 500 researchers and practitioners from around the region to discuss scientific results, challenges, and solutions related to the impacts of climate on people, natural resources and infrastructure in the Northwest. The conference also provides a forum for presenting emerging policy and management goals, as well as information needs related to regional climate impacts and adaptation. Conference participants include policy- and decision-makers, resource managers, and scientists from academia, public agencies, sovereign tribal nations, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. 

Case Studies Illustrate How Water Utilities May Adapt to Climate Change

Changing climate has far-reaching impacts, and is testing parts of society’s ability to continue doing business-as-usual.  Among these are water utilities, the entities responsible for delivering clean, fresh water to our nation’s households and managing wastewater and stormwater. The UW Climate Impacts Group in partnership with the Water Utility Climate Alliance is currently helping meet that need by assisting water managers and water utilities understand how climate change will impact their systems and what measures they can adopt now to be proactive in preparing for the future. 

CIG Research on Climate-Resilient Design for Fish Passages is Part of Effort Winning 2020 Climate Adaptation Leadership Award

Research conducted by Climate Impacts Group scientists on climate-resilient design for culvert and fish habitat restoration projects in Washington is part of a larger effort by the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife that recently won a 2020 Climate Adaptation Leadership Award. This award from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies recognizes outstanding leadership to advance climate resilience of America’s natural resources and the many people, businesses and communities that depend on them.

The climate-resilient culverts project was initiated by Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife to help inform Washington State’s current investments in repairing fish passage barriers that hinder the recovery of imperiled salmon stocks. 

Forest Ecologist Backs Inslee’s Assertion that Wildfires are Worsened by Climate Change

Gov. Jay Inslee has continued his stance that the hundreds of thousands of acres burned by wildfires in Washington state are a result of climate change, bringing a forest ecologist to back research that shows the connection in his latest meeting with the media. Crystal Raymond, climate adaptation specialist, is quoted.

“As bad as it is now, as high as the risks are now, they will continue to worsen as long as climate change continues to worsen,” Raymond said. 

Gov. Inslee Points to Climate Change as Wildfires Choke Washington State, West Coast

[Gov. Jay Inlsee] and a fire ecologist warned during a news conference that if something isn’t done about climate change, conditions will worsen for the U.S. Crystal Raymond, climate adaptation specialist and fire ecologist, is quoted. 

“As bad as it is now (and) as high as the risks are now, they will continue to worsen as long as climate change is an issue,” Raymond said. “We can expect to see more extreme fire danger days, longer fire seasons and overall greater acreage burned.”  

Wildfire News Updates, September 15: What to Know Today About the Destructive Fires in Washington State and on the West Coast

Destructive wildfires continue to rip through the state, with firefighters battling some 30 fires in Washington and Oregon. Crystal Raymond, climate adaptation specialist and a fire ecologist, is quoted.