Climate Leadership Initiative Publications

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https://hdl.handle.net/1794/13132

The Global Warming and Society program is focused on developing public education and communication strategies as well as promoting the Climate Change Resource Center, an initiative aimed at providing GHG quantifications for local governments and communities, municipal and regional assessments of socio-economic consequences of global warming and abrupt climate change, mitigation and adaptation policy analysis and program development and water and watershed management policy.

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Open Access
Abrupt Climate Change and the Economy: A survey with application to Oregon
(Resource Innovations, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2006) Climate Leadership Initiative; Goodstein, Eban S., 1960-; Doppelt, Bob
The general warming of the Earth that is expected over the next century will have serious economic consequences for humans and natural ecosystems across the world. The Pacific Northwest is already experiencing adverse affects and more are likely the warmer it gets. [Resource Innovations (2005)] This will be true even if warming proceeds gradually. Globally, temperatures are expected to rise between 1◦ and 5◦ c (2◦-10◦ F) over the next hundred years. [IPCC (2001)] Regional warming is expected to be 5.4 ◦ F by mid-century. [Institute of Natural Resources (2004)] To put these numbers in perspective, during the last Ice Age, global temperatures averaged 9◦ F cooler than today, so a mid-range warming will approach a swing in global temperatures of Ice Age magnitude, only in the opposite direction. In Oregon, the most visible short run impacts will be felt through loss of snowpack and dramatic reductions in summer water supply for agriculture, and municipal and in-stream uses, as well as through sea level rise, and forest impacts. [Resource Innovations (2005)] This paper sketches the possibilities for more abrupt changes in the climate system, which would have potentially catastrophic impacts for the Oregon’s economy, and evaluates insurance motives for reducing global warming emissions in the state.
Open Access
Climate change communications
(Community Planning Workshop, Community Service Center, University of Oregon, 2005-05) Potasnik, Rebeca; Almquist, Bill; Bodane, Kate; Johnson, Bethany; White, Linda; Bowles, Greg
In winter 2005, Resource Innovations initiated a project designed to identify the most effective means to communicate with local populations about climate change. The project is intended to identify speakers and messages that will resonate with Lane County residents as well as business, civic, and government leaders to help them understand what climate change is, what the impacts may be, and what can be done about it. Specifically, the project aims to identify effective language and communication styles as well as who should carry them. Resource Innovations contracted with Community Planning Workshop (CPW) at the University of Oregon to conduct four focus groups in Lane County, Oregon as part of the first phase of this project. Focus group populations included: residents of South Eugene, residents of Cottage Grove, business leaders from Eugene, and business leaders from Springfield and rural Lane County. The focus group discussions centered on four communication issues related to climate change: (1) Issue Framing; (2) Communications Channels; (3) Motivation and Behavior Modification; and (4) Local Government Roles. Focus groups were held in a casual environment, and participants were encouraged to speak their minds openly on the various issues and questions presented.
Open Access
Climate Change Health Preparedness in Oregon: an Assessment of Awareness, Preparation and Resource Needs for Potential Public Health Risks Associated with Climate Change
(2009-04) Climate Leadership Initiative; Oregon Coalition of Local Health Officials; Vynne, Stacy, 1979-; Doppelt, Bob
This report describes the findings of a survey of Oregon public health workers with the objective of determining their current knowledge of, level of preparation for, and the resources and training they believe are needed to respond to the health risks associated with climate change. The survey was distributed to public health workers across the state of Oregon in December 2008.
Open Access
Climate Change Preparedness of Oregon Municipal Water Providers in Snow-Transient Basins
(Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2007-11-30) Climate Leadership Initiative; Bartleson, Becca; Doppelt, Bob
In summer of 2007 the Climate Leadership Initiative (CLI) at the University of Oregon surveyed municipal water providers serving populations of over 4,500 people located within snow-transient basins in Oregon about their preparedness for the potential effects of climate change. Prior to the survey, maps were produced for CLI identifying low elevation watersheds in the state where slight temperature increases were likely to turn snow into rain, thus reducing snowpack and causing earlier snowmelt.1 Municipal water supplies in these "snow-transient basins" could experience changes to their water supply regimes if storage systems were not situated in locations capable of capturing rain runoff or if snowmelt occurring earlier in the year. The goals of the CLI survey were threefold: 1) to determine which water supply systems could potentially be at risk; 2) to determine the extent to which local providers were aware of the potential risks to their systems posed by rising temperatures; and 3) to ascertain how many providers had developed climate preparation plans or policies.
Open Access
Climate Communications and Behavior Change: A Guide for Practitioners
(2010) Climate Leadership Initiative; Pike, Cara; Doppelt, Bob; Herr, Meredith
Addressing global warming calls for changes in beliefs, assumptions and thinking about the environment, economy and our well-being. If you close your eyes and think about global warming, it is hard to picture. We can’t see carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases building up in the atmosphere. Carbon comes from endless sources, not just the obvious places that come to mind when we think about pollution such as smoke stacks. We hear the term global warming yet there are freak snowstorms and record low temperatures in places not expected. How can we get our head around a problem that we can’t see, touch or feel yet involves major risks to life on Earth as we know it?
Open Access
Climate Master Handbook: A guide to shrinking your climate footprint and motivating others to do the same
(2009) Climate Leadership Initiative; Mazze, Sarah, 1977-
This handbook is intended for participants in the Climate Master training program. It is designed to provide a basic level of knowledge for each of the topic areas covered. At the end of each section you will find local resources and supplementary activities to deepen your understanding of the topic as it relates to your own life and to help you reduce your personal greenhouse-gas emissions and motivate others to do the same.
Open Access
Climate Master Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Help People Curb Their Household Climate Impact
(2009) Climate Leadership Initiative
Global warming is the most pressing issue facing the world today. The latest report from the largest group of scientists ever to study an issue, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), states that greenhouse-gas emissions must peak by 2015 and decrease by 80 percent or more by 2050 in order to avoid dramatic temperature increases and the severe economic, social, and environmental impact that would accompany such increases. According to the IPCC, making this shift requires action within the next two to three years at all levels of society.
Open Access
Climate Master Research Results
(Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2008-05-07) Climate Leadership Initiative; Mazze, Sarah, 1977-; Doppelt, Bob; Stockard, Jean; Shaddrick, Abbie
In a 2007 pilot in Eugene, Oregon, the University of Oregon’s Climate Leadership Initiative trained 50 community members who conducted 600 hours of volunteer outreach reaching 1250 people through a program we developed called the Climate Master program. A portion of those outreach hours consisted of performing household “climate consultations” in 85 homes. Results from a pre- and post-survey of the most active program participants showed an increase in energy efficient purchases and energy saving behaviors, use of alternative transportation, purchase of local foods, volunteering with organizations involved with climate change and talking to others about climate change, along with a decrease in purchase of disposable goods and meat eating. Through these actions and others, participants reduced their personal greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 4,317 pounds, or approximately two tons. According to self-reports in interviews and program evaluations, the actions also led to an increased sense of wellbeing, empowerment and good health for participants, with some saying the program changed their life. The pool of survey respondents included both those who participated in the 30-hour Climate Master training course and those who received household consultations from Climate Masters. Forty-two people responded to both the pretest and posttest regarding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate-related behavior, while 135 people participated in the program at the level of survey respondents. Another 1100 were reached through outreach efforts by Climate Masters like tabling, public speaking and distributing compact florescent lightbulbs, the impact of which were not measured.
Open Access
Climate Master Training Handbook : A guide to shrinking your climate footprint and motivating others to do the same
(Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2008) Climate Leadership Initiative
This handbook is intended for participants in the Climate Master training program. It is designed to provide a basic level of knowledge for each of the topic areas covered. At the end of each section you will find local resources and supplementary activities to deepen your understanding of the topic as it relates to your own life and to help you reduce your personal greenhouse-gas emissions.
Open Access
Climate Masters : Blaze a path to climate action
(Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2008) Climate Leadership Initiative
The Climate Leadership Initiative developed a highly successful model for educating citizens about climate change and engaging them in activities in their household and community to help resolve the issue. That model, initiated as a research project, includes two primary components: the Climate Masters train-the-trainer course and the household climate consultations conducted by trained climate masters.
Open Access
Climate protection in Eugene, Springfield, and Lane County: an assessment of potential consequences, emission trends, and strategy options
(Dept. of Planning, Public Policy and Management, University of Oregon, 2005-04-15) Davis, Ethan; Bollig, Shaun R.; Vasepalli, Renuka; Sanghavi, Swati; Onsgaard, Greta; Melton, Bart; Luke, Nicole; Doppelt, Bob; LeVan, Shanda
This document is the outcome of an applied research project conducted by a graduate research seminar in global warming and abrupt climate change at the University of Oregon. The report begins by explaining global warming and abrupt climate change and the elements of local climate protection action plans. It then outlines the potential ecological and socio-economic consequences of climate change for the Northwest and Lane County, Oregon. The quantity and types of greenhouse gas emissions produced by the internal operations of the City of Eugene are then analyzed. The report closes with preliminary recommendations for ways the City of Eugene could enhance its greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts and provides examples of how other communities as well as private companies are approaching this task and the benefits they are finding from these efforts.
Open Access
Creating a Climate for Change: Communicating Climate Change and Facilitating Social Change
(Resource Innovations, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2007) Climate Leadership Initiative; Moser, Susanne C.; Dilling, Lisa
The call for effective communication, public outreach, and education as a way to increase support for a particular course of policy or collective action is pervasive. Perhaps nowhere is it more pressing than in the context of anthropogenic climate change. The growing scientific consensus on the reality and causes of climate change, as well as scientists’ increasingly urgent message that climate change is underway, and at the current rate of greenhouse gas emissions, will lead to significant and increasingly severe impacts, call for concerted response. Creating a Climate for Change explores how communication efforts can be strengthened to make them better serve society’s ability to respond to a challenge requiring policy and individual action. Drawing on diverse scholarship in relevant disciplines and on practical experience, this book takes stock of the immense challenges involved in effectively communicating climate change, debunks common myths, and offers well-founded, yet pragmatic suggestions for improvement. The hopeful conclusion is that communication can and must play an indispensable role in effectively facilitating action on climate change – at all levels and in all sectors of society. This unique collection introduces fresh ideas for engaging audiences in dialogue on one of the most challenging problems of our times.
Open Access
The economic impacts of climate change in Oregon: a preliminary assessment
(Resource Innovations, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2005-10) University of Oregon. Institute for a Sustainable Environment. Resource Innovations
This report is based on analysis and information presented by the scientists, resource specialists, and economists that participated at the May 3, 2005, workshop as well as research from the peer-reviewed literature. It was drafted by a subcommittee of participants and circulated to other participants for review and sign-on. It was then circulated to other noted economists for their review and sign-on. Faced with the large but uncertain ecological and economic risks associated with global warming, the economists urge policymakers in the public and private sectors to take steps now to insure society against the impacts. Specifically, the economists urge that prudent steps be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the economists urged policymakers to plan now to adapt to ecological and economic changes driven by warming that now seem inevitable. Oregon’s leaders can respond, in part, by directing public and private investment toward economic development opportunities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. These investments may also enhance income and job opportunities for Oregonians. Finally, the economists outline a suite of urgent priorities for future economic research including water management, sector-specific impacts, mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, risk management, and resource conflict resolution. Above all, the economists believe that Oregon’s leaders and citizens will need exceptional resourcefulness and flexibility to meet the unprecedented economic challenges posed by climate change.
Open Access
Economic Impacts Of Climate Change On Forest Resources in Oregon A Preliminary Analysis
(Resource Innovations, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2007-05) Climate Leadership Initiative; Bauman, Yoram
This report offers a preliminary assessment of the economic effects of global climate change on Oregon’s forest resources during the first half of the twenty-first century.
Open Access
Economists' letter to Governor Kulongoski, Oregon state and local government officials and Oregon business and civic leaders
(Resource Innovations, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2005-10-11) Barnes, William F.; Baird, Katie
The undersigned economists write to express a collective professional judgment that global warming poses significant risks to Oregon’s economy and welfare. We believe that prompt action to reduce these risks would be a sound investment in Oregon’s future prosperity and well-being.
Open Access
Executive Summary: Preparing for Climate Change in the Klamath Basin of Southern Oregon and Northern California
(2010-01) Climate Leadership Initiative; Barr, Brian R.; Koopman, Marni E.; Williams, Cindy Deacon; Doppelt, Bob; Hamilton, Roger; Vynne, Stacy, 1979-
The Klamath Basin of southern Oregon and northern California is rich in history, culture, and natural resources. This report explores how the local communities and natural resources of the Klamath Basin are expected to be affected by climate change and identifies approaches to preparing for such changes. Many impacts from climate change are already becoming apparent, such as an increasing average global temperature, rising sea levels, earlier snow melt, loss of snow pack, and changing precipitation patterns and storm frequency. Without severe cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, these impacts and others will continue to accelerate and negatively affect local communities and natural resources. While efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases are essential to prevent the most severe impacts, we must also take proactive steps to prepare for the impacts of climate change already inevitable due to emissions that have previously been released. This report is the result of a collaborative effort. The USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station developed projections for the potential future climate of the Klamath Basin. The University of Oregon’s Climate Leadership Initiative and the National Center for Conservation Science & Policy presented these projections to local leaders and experts in the Klamath Basin through a series of workshops. Leaders and experts used these climate projections to identify likely changes to natural (aquatic and terrestrial species and habitats), built (infrastructure), economic (agriculture, forestry, business, etc), human (health, educators, and emergency services), and tribal (resources of cultural and indigenous community importance) systems. The leaders and experts then developed recommended strategies and actions to prepare communities and natural resources for those changes.
Open Access
Global Warming Model / 20 Foot Sea Level Inundation Study: Olympia
(Ecology GIS Technical Services, 2006-12-14) Climate Leadership Initiative
Open Access
The Governor’s Climate Change Integration Group Final Report to the Governor : A Framework for Addressing Rapid Climate Change
(Oregon Dept. of Energy, 2008-01) Climate Leadership Initiative; Governor’s Climate Change Integration Group (Or.)
Governor Ted Kulongoski appointed the Climate Change Integration Group (CCIG) to develop a framework for making these intelligent and well-informed choices. The Governor charged the CCIG to create a preparation and adaptation strategy for Oregon, implement and monitor mitigation measures from the 2004 Oregon Strategy for Greenhouse Gas Reductions (and devise new ones if appropriate), serve as a clearinghouse for Oregon climate change information, and explore new research possibilities related to climate change for Oregon’s universities. In this report, the CCIG proposes that Oregon takes steps toward developing a framework that will assist individuals, businesses, and governments to incorporate climate change into their planning processes.
Open Access
Greenhouse Gas Inventory of Springfield, Oregon
(Resource Innovations, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2007-01) Climate Leadership Initiative
In September 2006 the Sustainable Business Initiative Task Force issued recommendations to the Eugene City Council and other public agencies, the private sector, non-profits and academic institutions in the Eugene-Springfield area for retaining and growing sustainable businesses and jobs. One of the recommendations (# D3) called for local governments to "Develop consortium and implement a metro area climate action plan." A climate action plan sets goals and identifies strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to cleaning the local airshed, such a plan will also trigger innovation within the private sector to develop and market technologies and services to reduce emissions. A starting point for the development of a metro area climate plan is baseline data on current and historical greenhouse gas emissions. The City of Eugene assessed baseline data for the community of Eugene's greenhouse gas emissions. The UO Climate Leadership Initiative decided to inventory the emissions produced within Springfield. This document describes the methodology and findings of the Springfield inventory. Our hope is that it can serve as a tool to begin a dialogue on how emissions can be cost effectively reduced in Springfield. We also hope that local governments in the metro area will refine and continue to update the inventory over time.
Open Access
Impacts of Climate Change on Washington’s Economy : A Preliminary Assessment of Risks and Opportunities
(Department of Ecology and Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development, State of Washington, 2006-11) Bauman, Yoram; Doppelt, Bob; Mazze, Sarah, 1977-; Wolf, Edward C.; Climate Leadership Initiative; Washington Economic Steering Committee
In early 2006, Washington’s Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development and Department of Ecology commissioned the Climate Leadership Initiative (CLI) at the University of Oregon to analyze the current and likely future effects of global climate change on Washington’s economy. The assessment was launched at a symposium at SeaTac airport on May 4, 2006 at which scientists, economists, and stakeholders shared and discussed current research on the topic. With oversight from a steering committee comprising economists and scientists from Washington universities, the private sector, and government, a CLI research team spent six months evaluating research and information about the economic effects of climate change in Washington and the Pacific Northwest. The team reached three conclusions about the effects of climate change on Washington’s economy: 1. Climate change impacts are visible in Washington State and their economic effects are becoming apparent. 2. The economic effects of climate change in Washington will grow over time as temperatures and sea levels rise. 3. Although climate change will mean increasing economic effects, it also opens the door to new economic opportunities. Scientists expect the Pacific Northwest climate to warm approximately 0.5ºF every ten years over the next several decades, a rate more than three times faster than the warming experienced during the twentieth century.