INR Projects related to Atmosphere or Climate:

Climate Change -- Now, and in the future, climate change may have important ramifications for Oregon’s environment, economy and the health of Oregonians. In 2003, INR director, Gail Achterman, was appointed to Governor Kulongoski's Advisory Group on Global Warming (GAGGW), a group that was co-chaired by Dr. Jane Lubchenco of OSU’s College of Science. As part of this effort, INR helped organize a June 2004 meeting, “Impacts of Climate Change on the Pacific Northwest” which led to a scientific consensus statement on the likely impacts of climate change on the Pacific Northwest.

Climate Change Science Conference Report (2004)

In fall 2005, INR received a grant from the Energy Foundation to design and implement the first phase of a climate change community outreach initiative. The overarching goals of the project were to: (1) translate  the scientific information on the impacts of climate change into formats and presentations accessible to non-professional audiences and, (2) engage leaders who could become "storytellers" about the impact of climate change in their own communities.

Climate Change Outreach Reports (2006)

In 2006, INR began work on another recommendation of the Governor's Advisory Group - to set specific goals for reduction of truck idling at truck and safety stops. An Oregon Solutions Team was convened by INR, at the Governor's request, to guide truck idling reductions in Oregon. As part of this effort, INR was funded by the EPA to study fleet and owner-operator capacity for utilizing idle reduction technology.

Idle Free Truck Stops Report (2006)

In 2006, Gail Achterman also authored a chapter on the Governor's Global Warming Initiative in The Oregon Forest Resources Institute's (OFRI) book, Forests, Carbon and Climate Change: A Synthesis of Science Findings (2006). Gail continued INR’s work on Oregon’s climate change strategy development by serving on the Governor’s Climate Change Integration Group (CCIG), co-chaired by Dean Mark Abbott of OSU’s College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences. The CCIG report was released in January 2008. The GAGGW and CCIG efforts provided key information to the Oregon Legislature during the 2007 Session. The Legislature passed the Climate Change Integration Act (H.B. 3543) setting goals for greenhouse gas emission reductions, creating the new Global Warming Commission and the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute (OCCRI). For more information on Oregon’s Climate Change strategy visit the Climate Change Portal.

Oregon Fire Program Review -- The wildfire situation in Oregon is changing. Fuel buildups and climatic shifts produce larger, more frequent and severe fires and longer fire seasons. Residential development in forests, recreation growth, budget limitations and rural firefighting capacity reductions are compounding these challenges. Fire readiness and suppression costs are rising dramatically. Following Oregon’s recent devastating fire seasons, ODF asked the Institute to assist in a comprehensive review of the Department’s Fire Program. The Institute has assisted in the design of the program review process and is utilizing Oregon State University (OSU) faculty in scoping the work plans. OSU faculty from the Colleges of Forestry, Business and Liberal Arts, along with University of Oregon planning faculty, are reviewing the work to assure the best available science, legal or policy analysis.