NCA3 released and discussed by expert panel

May 4, 2014

The Third National Climate Assessment report (NCA3) was released May 6, 2014. Written by more than 240 authors and overseen by a 60-member federal advisory committee, the third National Climate Assessment, or NCA3, is the most comprehensive national effort to assess the science and effects of climate change in the United States.  The report is designed to help officials, businesses, and members of the public in all regions and sectors of the country make the best decisions when dealing with climate change and managing related risk.

At the University of Arizona shortly after the report's release, a panel of National Climate Assessment authors commented on the report and its implications for the Southwest region, as well as the nation as a whole. They included Katharine Jacobs, who directed the NCA while serving in the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy in the White House before returning to the UA as director of CCASS. Panelists discussed various aspects of the report and field questions from the public and media. They included:

  • Andrew Comrie, UA senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, and professor in the School of Geography and Development, who gave a short welcome and introduction to the event.
  • Dave Breshears, professor in the UA School of Natural Resources and the Environment, who discussed climate impacts on forests.
  • Jim Buizer, deputy director for climate adaptation and international development with the UA Institute of the Environment and professor in the School of Natural Resources and Environment, who discussed the process of building a sustained assessment.
  • Gregg Garfin, deputy director for science translation and outreach at the UA Institute of the Environment and assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, who gave a brief overview of the science of climate change.
  • Nancy Grimm, senior sustainability scientist with the Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University and professor in ASU’s School of Life Sciences, who discussed how climate change will impact ecosystems and biogeochemistry and will provide an introduction to interdisciplinary assessment.
  • Kathy Jacobs, director of the UA Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions and a professor in the Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, who gave an overview of the NCA process and outcomes from the perspective of the director.
  • Diana Liverman, co-director of the UA Institute of the Environment and Regents’ Professor in the School of Geography and Development, servee as moderator of the event.