Climate change is already affecting life in the Northwest, and impacts are expected to grow over the coming century. How would limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compare to current global commitments? The PCC assembled a panel of UW expert scientists who spoke about where we are headed regarding temperature extremes, snowpack, and impacts on human health, fish, and wildlife. They considered climate impacts from different future emissions scenarios, including current international commitments to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The panel presented results from the 1.5 degree Celsius Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the National Climate Assessment, both released in fall.  Panelists included Ed Blanchard (UW Atmospheric Sciences), Meade Krosby (UW Climate Impacts Group), Jeremy Hess (UW Emergency Medicine, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences), and Cecilia Bitz (UW PCC Director).

The presentation was well attended by a wide-spectrum of university people. The audience asked many good questions, such as “How is air quality related to climate change?”, “How much money could we save by avoiding climate change?”, and “Can you tell us about resources for encouraging conversations about our climate impacts?”