RACC researchers play key role at Legislative Policy Summit on Climate Change at the University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM) sponsored its second annual legislative summit on November 18, 2014. This year’s summit focused on Climate Change and brought together over 40 legislators to campus. Approximately 150 faculty, UVM Graduate Students, Vermont Agency representative and invited community members from various Non-Government Organizations also attended.
The summit was designed for policy makers and researchers to network around the innovative research underway at UVM and the impacts of a changing climate in Vermont.
Speaker of the House, Shap Smith, provided opening remarks, along with UVM President Tom Sullivan and Vice President for Research, Dr. Richard Galbraith. Dr. David Rosowsky Provost, provided luncheon remarks and Dr. Asim Zia, RACC Integrated Assessment Model (IAM) science leader, was the invited keynote speaker.
Faculty from VT EPSCoR Adaptation to Climate Change in the Lake Champlain Basin: New Understanding through Complex Systems (RACC) played key roles in the scientific presentations for legislators, leading short talks in 10 of the 20 breakout sessions.
Dr. Chris Koliba, RACC Policy and Governance Science Leader and one of the organizers said "This summit provided the perfect opportunity for our policy makers and researchers to interact in small groups and share information that will result in a better understanding of the impacts of a changing climate and the adaptive measures that make sense for Vermont."
RACC faculty presenters included:
The Rising Risk of Flood Events Under Climate Change
(Arne, Bomblies, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering & Mathematical Sciences, RACC)
Reconsidering Vermont's Back Road in a Changing Climate: Considerations for Water Quality & Flood Resilence
(Beverly Wemple, Associate Professor, Dept. of Geography, College of Arts & Sciences, RACC)
Possible Climate Change Impacts on Lake Champlain Algae & Phosphorous Dynamics
(Andrew Schroth, Assistant Resarch Professor, Dept. of Geology, College of Arts & Sciences, RACC)
A Systems View of Climate Change in Vermont
(Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, Professor, Dept. of Geography, College of Arts & Sciences, RACC)
Economic Value of Wetlands for Floods
(Taylor Ricketts, Professor, Ecological Economics, Rubenstein School, Gund Institute DIrector)
Lunch & Keynote Talk "Policy, Governance & Human Behavior: Responding to the Climate Change Crisis"
(Asim Zia, Associate Professor, Community Development & Applied Economics, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Gund Institute Fellow, RACC)
Land Use: Cliamte Change Best Management Practices, Green Infrastructure & Smart Growth
(Stephanie Hurley, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Plant & Soil Sciences, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, RACC)
Climate Change Projections for the Lake Champlain Basin
(Brian Beckage, Professor, Dept. of Plant Biology, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, RACC)
Overview of the Vermont Climate Assessment
(Gillian Galford, Research Assistant Professor, Rubenstein School, Gund Institute Fellow, RACC)
Anticipated Impacts of Climate Change on Energy Consumption
(Gillian Galford, Research Assistant Professor, Rubenstein School, Gund Institute Fellow, RACC)
Anticipated Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources & Forests
(Gillian Galford, Research Assistant Professor, Rubenstein School, Gund Institute Fellow, RACC)
Anticipated Impacts of Climate Change on Tourism & Recreation
(Gillian Galford, Research Assistant Professor, Rubenstein School, Gund Institute Fellow, RACC)