Descriptions are ordered by topic:
Where available, we provide presentation slide and links to presenters' websites

Climate Models
Edward S. Sarachik
Center for Science in the Earth System, University of Washington

Edward Sarachik is Emeritus Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at UW. Until recently, he co-directed the JISAO Center for Science in the Earth System at UW. He has contributed actively to various discussions on the ocean, atmosphere and global climate change. As a member of the IPCC, he was a co-recipient (along with 3000 other scientists) of half of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

In his lecture, he addressed the following questions: (1) Why do we model the global climate? (2) What are global climate models? (3) What are regional climate models? (4) How good are the models? And (5) What next? He reviewed the progress modelers have made since the first IPCC report. He summarized predictions for temperature change under various emission scenarios. He emphasized their strengths in modeling changes on large scales, but warned of their weakness at more detailed, regional levels. He emphasized the requirements for modeling at regional levels and the need for addressing temporal variability.

 

Causal Thinking and Support for Climate Change Policies
Ann Bostrom
Evans School of Public Affairs, University of Washington

Professor Bostrom presented a research project on how risk perceptions, beliefs about causes of climate change, and perceptions of policy effectiveness influence individuals’ support for climate change policies. Prof. Bostrom and her colleagues conducted this research in Austria, Bangladesh, Finland, Germany, Norway, and United States. With few differences across countries, business and economics students see climate change as a problem and support policies to address it. However, general “green policies” received the highest support among respondents, while more specific taxes and engineering solutions received the lowest support.

 

Ocean Acidification
Terrie Klinger
School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of Washington

Terrie Klinger is Associate Professor at the UW’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. Her work revolves around ecological theory, specifically related to ecosystem-based approaches to environmental management, as well as ecosystem response and restoration. She has received several awards for her exemplary communication skills and public service. She has recently also received a large NSF grant for developing and interdisciplinary doctoral program in ocean acidification. Prof. Klinger’s presentation highlighted the impact of changes in the climate on the oceans. Rising carbon dioxide input to the Earth’s atmosphere was connected to record-breaking drops in our ocean’s seawater pH balance, with a focus on the impacts related to sea creatures and their ecosystems, as well as human economic and social activities related to oceans.

Adaptation in the Pacific Northwest: Actors, Actions, and Barriers
Amy Snover
Co-Director, Climate Impacts Group (Center for Science in the Earth System),
Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and the Ocean (JISAO), University of Washington

Dr. Amy Snover is a research scientist and the co-director of the UW/JISAO Climate Impacts Group. Her work focuses on assessment of climate impacts, vulnerability assessment and climate adaptation planning. Dr. Snover’s presentation examined conceptual issues related to climate change mitigation and adaptation. In examining adaptation in the Pacific North West, Dr. Snover focused on climate impacts for water and precipitation, salmon abundance, and coastal zones, the timeframe of relevant impacts, and key regional actors in climate adaptation efforts.

 

Integrating Renewable Resources into Current Power Systems
Daniel Kirschen
Close Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington

Daniel Kirschen is Close professor of Electric Engineering at UW. His work addresses smart grid technology, the integration of renewable energy, power system economics and security, as well as research related to energy blackouts. Dr. Kirschen’s presentation focused on the technological and institutional challenges of incorporating renewable electricity into current power systems. Generation of electricity from renewable sources is an essential part of climate change mitigation in most U.S. states. Many states even require that a given proportion of electricity has to be generated from renewable sources. Integration of these resources, however, requires trade-offs among service provision, minimization of service costs, and minimization of environmental impact. These trade-offs differ across the three grids—Eastern, Western, and Texas.

Western Climate Initiative
Janice Adair
Senior Policy Advisor, the Resource Innovation Group, Oregon

Janice Adair presented in our class as the Special Assistant for Climate Policy at the Washington Department of Ecology, where she organized the Western Climate Initiative. She is now the Senior Policy Advisor at The Resource Innovation Group in Oregon. Western Climate Initiative (WCI), is a regional partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in western U.S. states and some provinces in Canada through the implementation of a "cap and trade" program. The participating jurisdictions included Washington, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.

Ms. Adair discussed the details of the program design, especially the tradable permits elements, and evaluated the current level of support for this voluntary program. She highlighted that state-level elections in states partners that were part of WCI brought political shifts and resistance to WCI cap-and-trade program. Except for California, no other state is taking actions to implement the program. However, many states including Washington and Oregon are implementing other programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency is also incorporating greenhouse gas emission reductions into its Clean Air program requirements.

 

Introduction to King County Climate Solutions
Matt Kuharic
King County’s Climate Program Manager

Matt Kuharic is the Senior Climate Change Specialist for King County. He presented key milestones in King County’s climate change policies over the last 10 years starting with its first greenhouse gas emission inventory in 2000. Since then, King County joined the Chicago Climate Exchange, developed its comprehensive Climate and Energy Plan, updated its Green Buildings and Sustainable Development plan, started important initiatives in new green transit options including a program to support electric vehicles, improvement of regional biking trails, and van pool system. High density development is incentivized through its Transfer of Development Rights. King County also importantly improved its adaptation activities: it created a Flood Control District, developed (with UW) the Climate Adaptation Guidebook. By 2011, King County was working to integrate climate change considerations into all decision making.

 

Adaptation Across Agencies: Similarities and Differences
Jeremy S. Littell
Research Scientist, Center for Science in the Earth System (CSES)
Climate Impacts Group, University of Washington

Jeremy Littell is a research scientist for the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and the Ocean (JISAO). His work is focused on climate change and variability related to forest ecosystems. Dr. Littell’s presentation focused on the ways natural resource managers, specifically forest and water, adapt their management in light of climate change.

 

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Protocols
Edward Miles
Senior Fellow at JISAO and former Co-Director, Center for Science in the Earth System;
Bloedel Professor Emeritus, SMEA, University of Washington

Ed Miles is Senior Fellow at the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and the Ocean (JISAO) and former Co-Director of the Center for Science in the Earth System. He is Bloedel Emeritus Professor of Marine Studies and Public Affairs at the UW. He also had a joijnt appointment with the Evans School of Public Affairs. As a member of the IPCC, he was a co-recipient (along with 3000 other scientists) of half of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Ed Miles discussed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), its subsequent protocols, and a lack of post-2012 emission reduction commitments. He emphasized the difficulties in developing an effective climate regime due to high stakes and conflicts of interests involved. He had recommended to the Department of State that the climate change regime be focused on a small, more homogenous group of countries, rather than on insisting all countries be included in a global regime initially. He also discussed greenhouse gas emissions that commit us to different impacts depending on whether they are stored in the ocean, atmosphere or land. He claimed that this dynamic understanding of the problem questions “stabilization” arguments, which imply that specific technological solutions will cause a specific outcome.