News & Blog
Demystifying Emissions Accounting with the Clean Energy Transition Institute: a Capstone Project
Jade Sauvé, UW Oceanography As the world strives to meet ambitious climate goals, one critical yet often overlooked challenge is tracking and accounting for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Emissions accounting plays a pivotal role in helping policymakers, businesses, and communities measure progress toward decarbonization. However, for many in the Northwest U.S., understanding how emissions are quantified and reported can seem like a daunting task.
Read moreEmbracing Bioplastics: A Sustainable Alternative to Fossil Fuel-Based Plastics
Lexi Maerz 20 May 2024 On January 29th, 2024, Science on Tap held their monthly science talk at Ravenna Third Place Bookstore, where I was honored to be featured as their guest speaker. I am a Master’s student in Bioresource Science and Engineering at the University of Washington researching sustainable alternatives to fossil-fuel based plastics. I shared my insights into the promising future of bioplastics, showcasing my own work in the lab.
Read moreCoastal states get a report card grade and recommendations based on their current coastal policies, in hopes of creating stronger coastal resilience in the face of climate change.
Written by: Andrea Richter-Sanchez M.M.A 2023 UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs Andrea worked with the Surfrider Foundation to assess 31 coastal states’ climate and coastal policies in order to produce the 2022 State of the Beach Report– a report that encourages policy makers to follow Surfrider’s recommendations and to empower citizens to work with policy makers to ensure their local communities are effectively planning in the face of climate change.
Read moreHeat Waves and Urban Flooding in Seattle: The Application of a Climate Communication Toolkit for Urban Planners in Puget Sound
Written by: Rachel Chen Rachel created a “Climate Communication Toolkit for Planners in Puget Sound, WA” as part of her thesis for the Master of Urban Planning program. To incorporate the capstone project for the UW PCC Graduate Certificate in Climate Science, she conducted a focus group to discuss her findings with planners who work throughout Puget Sound and to discuss the climate science behind heat waves and urban flooding in Seattle to demonstrate how to utilize the strategies in her Toolkit.
Read moreConnecting Chemistry and Climate Science: Empowering High School Students to Take Action
By: Kat Husiak As the urgency of climate change becomes increasingly apparent, it is essential to equip young minds with the knowledge and tools to understand and address this global crisis. In May of 2022, I responded to a request from Newport High School looking to supplement their sophomore chemistry curriculum with a guest speaker. As a result, I developed a 50 minute guest lecture to Newport High School sophomores in Bellevue, WA as part of my capstone project for the Graduate Certificate in Climate Science.
Read moreTackling climate change denial, one stage at a time
By Raven Capone Benko “Climate change is happening, there’s no disagreement there. I just don’t think it’s going to be as bad as all the scientists say. I mean, look at the last fifty years since scientists started making catastrophic claims about climate change… nothing has happened.” In my sister’s living room over cups of tea and the remnants of our white elephant gift exchange, her partner – an engineer for an oil refinery – and I were in a deep discussion about green energy, environmental ethics, and of course, the legitimacy of climate change.
Read moreEffectiveness of a Multimedia StoryMap for Communicating Rapid Glacier Change in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska
Taryn partnered with Kenai Fjords National Park to create a StoryMap that illustrates how glaciers in the park have changed over the past several decades or even the past century. They aimed to communicate how quickly glaciers can change and how they affect their environment. This is a capstone in fulfillment of the UW PCC Graduate Certificate in Climate Science. How do you overcome the idea that glaciers change at “a glacial pace”?
Read moreEmissions Reduction Partnerships: Potential Points of Collaboration Between the Northwest Seaport Alliance and Their Key Cargo Partners
As part of both an ACORN project and her GCeCS Capstone, Gabriela analyzed the sustainability plans and public emissions reporting of twelve of the Northwest Seaport Alliance’s (NWSA) top cargo partners. The NWSA manages most of the terminals at the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma; much of their emissions are created by cargo partners, or Beneficial Cargo Owners (BCOs), as they bring their goods through the ports.
Read moreFirst Steps: Climate Change Curriculum for Agricultural Analysts and Decision-Makers in Sub-Saharan Africa
Piloting the development of a training program to equip analysts and policymakers in the use of agricultural, evidence-based policy analysis and leadership in Sub-Saharan Africa with a component on climate science. A collaboration between PCC graduate students and the Evans School Policy and Research group. Written by Connor Lewis-Smith and Kristin Hayman Many economies in Sub-Saharan Africa rely heavily on agriculture.
Read moreIdentifying patterns of participation and reluctance in the Bainbridge Island Climate Action Plan
Jacquelyn partnered with Bainbridge Island’s Climate Change Advisory Committee and Climate Change Adaptation/Mitigation Officer to create a focus group with Bainbridge Island’s senior community. This pilot focus group aimed to guide implementation strategies of the Climate Action Plan and serve as a model for future focus groups that other cities can use. A capstone in fulfillment of the UW PCC Graduate Certificate in Climate Science.
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