Climate Symposium: Next Generation Challenges and Changes in a Changing World

USDA Food and Climate Symposium Series

What does resilience look like for the USDA in the face of ongoing climate change? How can we work together to create climate-resilient landscapes and rural economic systems? What does the future of food security look like? How can we learn from one another, as different regions face very different challenges?

Climate change and resilience is an important subject to explore and understand. Students will not only learn about the science of climate change, but will also have a chance to (virtually) meet members of their own cohorts and institutions as well as others (��Ϻ��Ƶ, Hawaii, Arizona, and Guam). Brainstorming and discussion in small breakout groups will focus on discovering similarities, differences, common goals, and joint solutions. The symposiums are divided into two distinct workshops: Introductory and Advanced. As a first-year USDA Scholar, you are required to attend the two day Introductory Workshop, though you are also welcome to participate in the Advanced Workshop. For second-year USDA Scholars, attendance is mandatory only at the Advanced Workshop.

Symposium Leader

Nancy Fresco

Associate Research Professor

Nancy Fresco is a Research Associate Professor with a background in biology, landscape ecology, and forestry. She has worked on a wide range of interdisciplinary collaborative projects with partners ranging from small communities and non-profits to state, federal, and international agencies. Her work focuses on connecting northern climate data and model projections to the real-world needs, concerns, and questions.

Learn more about the instructor

Introductory USDA Food and Climate Symposium: Changes and Challenges (2 part symposium)

This symposium will start with an overview of the latest science and data at the global level, including long-term climate projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and an introduction to the best online tools and resources for visualizing, understanding, summarizing, and sharing pertinent climate change information. We’ll then move on to an in-depth discussion of regional and local adaptation options and tools to support agriculture, subsistence activities, healthy ecosystems, and rural communities.

Hands-on access to online tools will teach students where to find information for further exploration on their own. After the Symposium, participants will have access to all the collated and annotated learning materials, including links to tools, datasets, educational resources, and online modules.

Dates/Times
Symposium	Registration	Date	��Ϻ��Ƶ Time	Arizona Time	Hawaii-Aleutian Time	Guam Time
Introductory USDA Food and Climate Symposium: Changes and Challenges Part 1		Tuesday, October 8	3 - 4:30 PM	4 - 5:30 PM	1 - 3:30 PM	9 - 10:30AM
Introductory USDA Food and Climate Symposium: Changes and Challenges Part 2		Wednesday, October 9	3 - 4:30 PM	4 - 5:30 PM	1 - 3:30 PM	9 - 10:30 AM

Introductory Resources

Global and National

US Climate Resilience Toolkit Tools are available to help you manage your climate-related risks and
opportunities, and to help guide you in building resilience to extreme events.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Climate Change Research Program empowers land
managers, policy makers, and its agencies with science-based knowledge to manage the risks and
opportunities posed by climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance carbon
sequestration. It is one of a host of programs at .

A fun timeline by xkcd that shows climate change REALLY to scale

Communication focus

Humor as a way to reach people (especially young people) on climate change issues. Original research
by Christofer Skurka, Jeff Niederdeppe, Rainer Romero-Canyas, and David Acup published in the Journal
of Communication and a summary of the
research by Kate Yoder in Grist

Thoughts on finding a broader audience and “Raising a Tantrum” from Michael Mann, professor of
atmospheric science at Pennsylvania State University in University Park and director of the university’s
Earth System Science Center.

Comprehensive and well-organized guide linked to easy-to-understand articles that refute every possible argument put forward by climate change skeptics and deniers. By Coby Beck via Grist Magazine.

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication – information, ideas, data, news, and visualizations.

George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication Our mission at 4C is to develop
and apply social science insights to help society make informed decisions that will stabilize the earth’s
life-sustaining climate, and prevent further harm from climate change.

Youth Focus

MAIANSE

More general NASA info, but with strong cultural elements, from the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) for American Indian and ��Ϻ��Ƶ Native Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Engagement Included Living Landscapes project, specific to climate science.

NASA’s Climate Kids

Lots of information and activities, appealingly presented.

Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network

Focused on education about clean energy

Climate Change Lessons

Activities from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab

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The University of ��Ϻ��Ƶ Fairbanks is making it easy for people globally to gain a basic understanding of climate change issues in the circumpolar North through a new massive open online course. The MOOC,, is free, with the option to pay for a certificate of completion. Enrollees will learn from leading scientists and experts about modern climate science and the impacts of change across atmospheric, marine, terrestrial and human systems.

Earth Signs is a Culturally responsive and Arctic/��Ϻ��Ƶ focused program developed by ��Ϻ��Ƶ scientists and personnel. The program trains teachers, 4-H leaders, and community members on climate change concepts, culturally-responsive curriculum, and environmental observing protocols in face-to-face and online courses.

Climate data and resources for ��Ϻ��Ƶ and western Canada from the Scenarios Network for ��Ϻ��Ƶ and Arctic Planning (SNAP), a research group in the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) at the University of ��Ϻ��Ƶ Fairbanks (��Ϻ��Ƶ).

Data and resources from the ��Ϻ��Ƶ Climate Adaptation Science Center (AK CASC), one of 8 regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers that provide managers with tools and information regarding the impacts of climate change on natural and cultural resources. Hosted by ��Ϻ��Ƶ, with a USGS-hosted office in Anchorage, AK.

Information and recorded webinars from ��Ϻ��Ƶ Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP), a ��Ϻ��Ƶ research and outreach group that partners with stakeholders to create realistic community plans and climate adaptation strategies across all of ��Ϻ��Ƶ. ACCAP studies marine resources and assesses climate change-related impacts on water availability, sea ice, wildfire and ��Ϻ��Ƶ Native culture.

Adapt��Ϻ��Ƶ Learning, sharing, and building resilience in a changing climate

Lisa Murkowski’s stance on climate change and energy, as described by Lisa Friedman in the New York Times.

The state of ��Ϻ��Ƶ’s nascent plan to address climate change, as described in the New York Times by Brad Plumer

Arizona

Assessment of Climate Change in the Southwest United States speaks broadly and clearly about climate and its effects on the people and landscapes of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, the U.S.– Mexico border region, and the lands of Native Nations. A landmark study in terms of its coverage and analysis (and a synthesis of knowledge from some 120 contributing experts), the book offers decision makers and stakeholders a substantial basis from which to make informed choices that will affect the well-being of the region’s inhabitants in the decades to come.

Fact sheets from the Assessment of Climate Change in the Southwest United States

Webinars from the Assessment of Climate Change in the Southwest United States

The Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (SW CASC) is a collaborative federal-university partnership between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and seven academic institutions from across the U.S. Southwest. The SW CASC is one of eight regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers under the Department of the Interior (DOI) managed by the USGS National Climate Adaptation Science Center (NCASC).

At the Arizona Institute for Resilience, we turn science into actionable, community-oriented solutions. Our focus is resilience, the capacity to respond to environmental change in innovative ways by adapting toward more sustainable and equitable outcomes. We bring together researchers, educators, problem-solvers, and innovators from diverse disciplines – science, engineering, humanities, economics, public policy, law, the arts, and beyond – to develop innovative and practical solutions to the many environmental and resilience challenges we all face today.

What Climate Change Means for Arizona (EPA fact sheet)

Guam

Climate Change in Guam: Indicators and Considerations for Key Sectors is one in a series of new PIRCA reports aimed at assessing the state of knowledge about climate change indicators, impacts, and adaptive capacity of the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands and the Hawaiian archipelago. Authors from the University of Guam and the East-West Center—along with more than 30 technical contributors from local governments, NGOs, researchers, and community groups—collaboratively developed the Guam PIRCA report.

The vision of the Pacific Research on Island Solutions for Adaptation (RISA) is resilient and sustainable Pacific Island communities using climate information to manage risks and support practical decision-making about climate variability and change.

The Climate Change Resiliency Commission was created under the Executive Order 2019-19, signed by Gov. Leon Guerrero in August 2019, to develop a strategy in climate change resiliency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Review the Executive Order below to learn more on the integration of climate change resiliency.

Sea Level Rise Projection Map – Guam

What Climate Change Means for Guam

Fact sheet from the EPA

Hawaii

The overarching goal of the Hawaii Climate Data Portal (HCDP) is to provide streamlined access to high-quality reliable climate data and information for the State Of Hawai‘i. This includes the production of both near-real-time monthly rainfall and daily temperature maps and a user-friendly tool to visualize and download them. Easy access to high quality climate data, information and products through the HCDP allows researchers to focus more time on their analyses and less time on data collection and processing. It also provides the broader community with access to information that would otherwise be inaccessible due to technical limitations. Finally, centralizing data and information helps to create more of a holistic environment for environmental stewardship in Hawai‘i.

“Slice of PI-CASC” Seminar Series Climate Adaptation Challenges and Solutions
The “Slice of PI-CASC” seminar series seeks to provide a platform for sharing ongoing and state-of-the-art climate adaptation science for a wide audience, including scientists and natural and cultural resource managers, to learn about climate adaptation research and science-to-management applications in Hawaiʻi, the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands, and beyond.

The Hawai‘i Climate Data Portal: From soup to nuts with Dr. Ryan Longman, East-West Center

After four years of development, the Hawai‘i Climate Data Portal (HCDP) was officially launched in March 2022 with the goal of providing a central location for streamlined access to climate data and resources for the State of Hawaiʻi. Since that time, efforts are ongoing to develop a range of new tools and data products and to improve the overall experience for end users. In this presentation, Dr. Ryan Longman will look back at how the HCDP got here, introduce new products and features, and discuss future HCDP opportunities.

What Climate Change Means for Hawai’i (EPA fact sheet)

Climate agriculture and Food Security

The Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems develops innovative ideas and solutions to the many challenges of current food systems. Taking a holistic and transdisciplinary approach, the Center seeks to facilitate research, education, public engagement, community-strengthening and policy reform to support sustainable food systems. The Swette Center is the focal point for food systems work at ASU.

Food Security in the Western US and Pacific Territories.

Guam Climate Smart Agriculture. Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is an integrative approach developed by the FAO aimed at helping guide actions to reorient agricultural systems to ensure food security and effectively support sustainable communities and livelihoods in a changing climate.

Drought and Vegetation Monitoring Climate Engine, with support from NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System, is partnering with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to guide drought planning on BLM-managed lands.

Climate Engine provides satellite and climate data in a user-friendly manner to facilitate water conservation, wildfire risk management, agricultural productivity monitoring, and ecological restoration.

Climate Change Impacts on Agriculture and Food Supply

National overview from the EPA

Food Security and Climate Change in ��Ϻ��Ƶ

Overview from the USDA Northwest Climate Hub

Climate change could enable ��Ϻ��Ƶ to grow more of its own food – now is the time to plan for it

��Ϻ��Ƶ Garden Helper online tool

��Ϻ��Ƶ Grown video

Advanced USDA Food and Climate Symposium: Student-led Exploration of Issues and Opportunities

NextGen Scholars and Interns who participated in the Climate Symposium in April 2024 should register for this symposium. In this course, students will explore current challenges to food security and land management through discussions based on news, research, and personal experiences. They will compare these challenges by region, considering factors like climate, culture, and economics. Students will also collaborate to develop solutions, incorporating USDA efforts, Indigenous knowledge, and insights from their academic backgrounds. Students are encouraged to review the Introductory Resources (see above) to refresh their understanding of previous topics and deepen their comprehension.