How are Washington’s parks feeling the effects of climate change?

Written by

KUOW Soundside producer Noel Gasca talked to Marty Stump, chief planning officer for Metro Parks Tacoma, about how the agency is planning to create a more climate-resilient Point Defiance. Later, Soundside host Libby Denkmann talks to Lisa Lantz, parks stewardship manager for the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, about the ways climate change has already altered how we interact with nature. CIG’s partnership with State Parks to develop the Washington State Parks Climate Vulnerability Assessment is referenced.

What new projections of sea level rise mean for Puget Sound and the WA coast

Written by

Sea level rise will affect each area of the planet in a unique way, but new projections are helping researchers and lawmakers in Washington state identify which coastal communities are most vulnerable. Dr. Guillaume Mauger is quoted. 

“Even if we could magically turn off greenhouse gases tomorrow, we’re kind of stuck with what we’re going to get by 2050. What we see at the end of the century … is strongly dependent on how much we emit between now and then.” – Guillaume Mauger 

 

 

Evacuations, search for missing persons continue after flooding in Washington

Written by

Extreme flooding pretty much cut off Seattle from the rest of the country last Friday. Meade Krosby is quoted. 

“We received a pretty shocking amount of rain in a very small amount of time across the state, particularly in Western Washington,” Krosby said. “Our soils are already really saturated, our rivers are already really high, and so getting this huge amount of precipitation in a really small amount of time led to significant flooding throughout the state.”

Microsoft, Amazon Urge Climate Mitigation At Wash. Summit

Written by

Washington’s insurance industry took a look at the threat of climate change in a summit that included input from executives at Microsoft and Amazon. Amy Snover, who spoke at the summit, is quoted.

“[Climate impacts] will reshape our communities and ecosystems in the Northwest, and climate change matters for all of these communities and ecosystems because they were built and they evolved to cope with the climate of the past. Climate change shifts the foundation of everything that we depend on and everything that’s around us.” – Amy Snover

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

Written by

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. Register to hear from Dr. Snover and an exciting lineup of speakers including Washington Representative Joe Fitzgibbon, Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest and Director of Yale Program on Climate Change Communication’s Anthony Leiserowitz, among others!

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.