Even if climate negotiations in Paris are successful, the planet is locked into long-term warming and an uncertain future. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. But what was the Arctic like before — when maritime explorers and whale hunters first ventured into its icy seas? If scientists could know more about Arctic climate of the past, they could better understand today’s changes, and use that knowledge to improve projections for the future.
Read more at UW Today »Dean’s Letter: It’s time to imagine plausible and desirable futures
We are squarely in the age of the Anthropocene, the first time in the history of our planet where humans are driving major environmental changes. Researchers in our College are at the leading edge of uncovering the fundamental changes occurring in the Earth system with implications at local to global scales. This research, the science of the Anthropocene, is both exceedingly exciting and profoundly important work.
Read more »Award honors hundreds of citizen scientists who search for Washington’s rarest plants
Each year, hundreds of volunteers spread across Washington’s forests and grasslands to look for the state’s rarest, most sensitive plant species. Many of these endangered populations live in remote valleys or along unseen slopes and haven’t been seen in a decade or more. That’s where the University of Washington’s Rare Plant Care and Conservation program comes in. Its team of more than 200 volunteers fans out each summer to gather intel, one plant population at a time, on some 4,000 living in Washington state.
Read more at UW Today »Combating global climate change is fun and games for EarthGamesUW
EarthGamesUW, a new group at the University of Washington, is inspiring kids to combat climate change through gaming.
Read more »Philanthropy: Making a Difference
In this season of thanks, we are especially grateful to College of the Environment alumni and supporters! Individuals, private foundations, and corporations have donated more than $9.2 million in the first four months of the 2016 fiscal year! This support enables us to provide scholarships to those in need, recruit talented and dedicated faculty, undertake substantial research endeavors, and launch new programs.
Read more »