We built upon data from a 2016 study projecting future “smoke wave” days to better understand where and for whom smoky days will be of increasing concern as climate change pushes wildfires to new extremes. Read more >
Hey, Oregon Senators: You Can’t Run Away from Climate Change
Adrienne Alvord, director, California & Western States
June 21, 2019 1:02 PM EDT
In literally running away from an important vote, these Senators are fleeing their constitutionally-mandated work—and betraying their state. Read more >
Photo: BLM Oregon
Scientists Advocating for Climate Action in Oregon: Why we are stepping up and speaking out
Sharon C Delcambre, PhD, Visiting Instructor of Environmental Studies, University of Portland; Frank D. Granshaw, PhD, adjunct faculty in Geology and University Studies, Portland State University, UCS Science Network, UCS
June 5, 2019 11:52 AM EDT
We are two climate scientists, currently teaching about climate change at two universities in Portland, Oregon. We are also two concerned scientists who understand the severe threats that climate change is posing to human well-being, as well as two concerned parents (and one concerned grandfather) who are worried about the future of climate extremes that our children and grandchildren must bear. As members of the UCS Science Network, this year we have used our voices as scientists and experts to speak with Oregon state legislators and advocate for strong climate action in Oregon. Here are our stories.
Photo: Vasiliki Volkova/Unsplash
Oregon Climate Impacts: 2019 is The Year for Bold Climate Legislation
January 30, 2019 4:46 PM EDT
In the last decade or so, Oregon has endured destructive wildfires, reductions in snowpack, and declining fisheries. First responder and resident Oregonian communities alike still vividly recall the devastation brought by the 2003 B&B Complex wildfire. Although the Beaver State had a good 2018 ski season, snowpack this winter is more than one-quarter down from what has in the past been considered ‘normal’. Ocean acidification is killing oyster and plankton in farms along the Oregon coast.
Sea Level Rise Will Make Oregon’s Existing Flooding Problems Worse
Kristy Dahl, senior climate scientist
January 31, 2018 9:23 AM EDT
In 2013 Annie Pollard opened her pub, the 7 Devils Brewing Co., in Coos Bay, Oregon. Less than two years later, the pub flooded during a heavy rain that coincided with a high tide, and Pollard found herself stacking sandbags and mopping up floodwaters. While high tide flooding is relatively infrequent in Coos Bay, when it does occur, businesses like Pollard’s are at risk, and inundated roads cause traffic in town to snarl. Pollard and other business owners are acutely aware that such floods could become a much bigger problem for Coos Bay in the future. Read more >
