Jamesine Rogers Gibson

Western states senior climate analyst

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Jamesine Rogers Gibson is the Western states senior climate analyst for the Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Ms. Rogers Gibson conducts research and policy analysis to inform and build support for robust climate policies in California and the Western states. See Jamesine's full bio.

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PV system at Lick Wilmerding school in San Francisco, California
PV system at Lick Wilmerding School, San Francisco, California mjmonty/Flickr

Climate Change Affects Students’ Well-Being: Case Study of Extreme Heat in San Joaquin Valley and Need for Climate-Smart Schools

November 7, 2019 5:26 PM EDT

Schools are expected to provide safe and healthy environments for children to learn and grow. Yet many are ill-equipped to protect them from the heatwaves, floods, wildfires, and droughts that are happening in increasing number and severity across the nation. The repercussions can be huge, affecting school finances, students’ health and academic performance, and communities. The repercussions can be huge, affecting school finances, students’ health and academic performance, and communities. Read more >

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Development to Meet San Joaquin Valley’s Population Growth, Extreme Temperature Must be Climate-Smart

November 6, 2019 5:42 PM EDT

Living in the San Joaquin Valley means living with heat, where historically July temperatures can regularly be 95-100°F. Over the next 30-70 years, it will get even hotter due to heat-trapping carbon emissions, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels. These higher temperatures will place additional pressure on the region’s critical infrastructure and vulnerable populations, like children, the elderly, and outdoor workers. Hotter days and nights can also stress the infrastructure that people rely on to keep cool when it is dangerously hot outside, like the electricity grid and buildings. Read more >

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California’s Infrastructure Earns a C-. We Need More Equitable and Climate-Safe Infrastructure Now

May 17, 2019 5:18 PM EDT

I count on the quality and reliability of our roads, water and wastewater systems, and electric grid to help me keep my daughter safe from harm and provide an environment where she can thrive. Many other parents do, too. These expectations seem reasonable. They will, however, become even harder to meet in the face of continued underinvestment and disinvestment in communities and more frequent and severe climate-related extreme events here in California and beyond. These issues must be key considerations in infrastructure decisions and solutions moving forward. Read more >

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Climate-Safe Infrastructure for All: California Working Group Report Provides Comprehensive Recommendations

September 5, 2018 4:53 PM EDT

Nearly two years ago, the Climate-Safe Infrastructure bill (AB 2800, Quirk, 2016) became law and established the Climate-Safe Infrastructure Working Group (CSIWG) to develop recommendations to the California legislature on how to build and design our infrastructure to be safer for Californians in the face of growing climate extremes. Since then, unprecedented wildfires and mudslides, record-breaking temperatures and precipitation have added an exclamation point to the importance of this group’s work in preparing our infrastructure to keep us safe, as we’ve experienced the risks and what’s at stake. Today, the CSIWG released its report, Paying it Forward: The Path Toward Climate-Safe Infrastructure in California, which recommends an ambitious and attainable path forward.

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CSIWG, Paying It Forward
CSIWG, Paying It Forward
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The wildfires in northern California in 2017 destroyed more than 8,000 structures, exacerbating the existing housing crisis and creating a jobs shortage for low-income workers, especially farm workers, domestic workers, and workers in the tourism industry. Photo: National Guard

Why Climate Change and Equity Matter for Infrastructure: An Interview with Chione Flegal of PolicyLink

February 13, 2018 9:46 AM EDT

I recently sat down with Chione Flegal, Senior Director at PolicyLink, a national institute advancing racial and economic equity, to discuss climate risks to vulnerable communities, and the important role “climate smart” infrastructure can play in achieving healthy, thriving communities in the face of climate change. Read more >

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