CIG Director Presents at Insurance Commissioner’s Climate Summit

Written by

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.  

Learn more about how Commissioner Kreidler is working with insurance companies in Washington state, nationally and internationally to ensure they are prepared for climate-related challenges.

 

Washington Commissioner’s Climate Summit Highlighted Area, Global Vulnerabilities

Written by

“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.

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

Written by

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. It has grown into a partnership with the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group through research funding through the NW CASC. The goal of this effort is to make projections of future climate-induced changes in stream flows and channel widths available to engineers designing culverts. This goal has been achieved through an online tool that enables engineers to obtain site-specific information for designing climate-adapted culverts.

Webinar: Bridging the Gap Between Science and Decision-Making

Written by

How can we best connect decision makers with climate science? Dr. Amy Snover, director, UW Climate Impacts Group, discusses this question in a webinar hosted by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Snover breaks CIG’s work into three different goals:

  1. Educating key actors about climate risks and response options
  2. Enabling the use of climate science in risk assessment and management
  3. Embedding scientists in management contexts and science in management processes

To illustrate these areas in action, Snover draws on two examples – building a Sea Level Rise Toolkit with the Washington Coastal Resilience Project, and developing the Tribal Vulnerability Assessment Resources alongside tribal nations.