California’s 5th Climate Change Assessment Roundtables

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program at the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research in partnership with the California Council on Science & Technology (CCST) hosted a series of 6 public roundtables to discuss California-specific information and knowledge gaps that will help inform the scope of climate change research conducted as part of California’s Fifth Climate Change Assessment.

Each roundtable discussion considered how future research can incorporate equity, traditional knowledges, governance, and economic impacts and climate financing. The roundtables were moderated by Neil Matouka, Integrated Climate Change Assessment and Resilience Program’s (ICARP)  Fifth Climate Change Assessment Program Manager.

Completed Roundtables:

Infrastructure & Built Systems
Held September 26th
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Climate impacts on land use, development, transportation and built infrastructure, and how these systems respond to these impacts, including climate-related human migration and displacement.

Eric Chu | UC Davis
Assistant Professor, Community & Regional Develop. Prog.

Adrienne Greve | Cal Poly State University
Associate Professor, City & Regional Planning Dept.

Andrew Jones | Berkeley Lab
Staff Scientist, Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division

Juan Matute | UCLA
Deputy Director, Institute of Transportation Studies, Luskin School of Public Affairs

Borja Reguero | UC Santa Cruz & The Nature Conservancy
Coastal Engineering Research Fellow, Natural Capital Project

Olivia Seideman | Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability
Policy Coordinator, Climate Programs

Sharifa Taylor | Communities for a Better Environment
Staff Researcher Co-Chair, Environmental Justice Advisory Committee, CARB

Stephen Wong | University of Alberta
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department

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Human Health, Culture, & Wellbeing
Held September 30th
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Climate impacts to human health (physical and mental) and emergencies, general safety and wellbeing (including in the workplace), impacts to cultural resources, and resilience to these impacts. This includes cultural, social, and economic impacts of climate change, such as human migration and displacement, and responding to these impacts.

Patrick Behrer | World Bank
Research Economist, Development Economics

Rob McConnell | University of Southern California
Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences

Michael Méndez | UC Irvine
Assistant Professor, School of Social Ecology, Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy

Jyoti Mishra | UC San Diego
Associate Professor in Residence, Psychiatry

Luis Olmedo | Comite Civico del Valle
Executive Director

Jenny Rempel | UC Berkeley
MS/PhD Student at Energy and Resources Group

Michael Schmeltz | CSU East Bay
Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health

Shasta Gaughen | Pala Band of Mission Indians 
Director, Pala Environmental Department and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer

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Water Management
Held September 30th
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Climate impacts on residential, agricultural, and industrial water use and the physical and social systems that manage ground and surface water supply, as well as water quality (including contamination, salinity, and desalination). This includes building resilience and adapting to these impacts.

Daniel Swain | UCLA
Climate Scientist, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

JT Reager | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Earth Scientist

Kyle Jones | Community Water Center
Policy and Legal Director

Matthew Becker | CSU Long Beach
Chair and Professor, Hydrogeology

Meagan Mauter | Stanford University
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Research Director, National Alliance for Water Innovation

Newsha Ajami | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Chief Development Officer for Research, Earth and Environmental Sciences Area

Ruth Langridge | UC Santa Cruz
Researcher, Social Sciences Division, Politics Department

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Natural Lands & Biodiversity
Held October 3rd
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Climate impacts to natural terrestrial ecosystems, habitat, and biodiversity, including forests, deserts, shrublands/chaparral, urban forests/parks, grasslands, wetlands, and coastal lands throughout California, and how to respond to such impacts.

David Ackerly | UC Berkeley
Professor & Dean
Rauser College of Natural Resources

Joe Carlin | CSU Fullerton
Associate Professor
Department of Geological Sciences

Chris Clarke | National Parks Conservation Association
Ruth Hammett Associate Director
California Desert Program

Justin Dellinger | UC Davis
Carnivore Researcher & California Carnivore Program Lead

Lee Hannah | UC Santa Barbara
Adjunct Professor & Lecturer
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management

Max Moritz | UC Santa Barbara
Adjunct Professor
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management

Michael Shaver | Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians
Environmental Director

Christine Whitcraft | CSU Long Beach
Professor & Director of the Environmental Science and Policy Program
Biology Department

Grace Wu | UC Santa Barbara
Assistant Professor
Environmental Studies Program

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Natural Waters & Biodiversity
Held October 3rd
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Climate impacts on natural aquatic ecosystems, habitat and biodiversity, including ocean areas, estuaries, lakes, streams and rivers throughout California, and how to respond to such impacts.

Emily Fairfax | CSU Channel Islands
Assistant Professor
Environmental Science and Resource Management
Adjunct Assistant Professor at Utah State University

Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš | Azul
Founder/Executive Director

Thomas Gates | California Energy Commission
Tribal Liaison

Cheryl Logan | CSU Monterey Bay
Professor
Department of Marine Science

Kerry Nickols | CSU Northridge
Associate Professor
Department of Biology

John Olson | CSU Monterey Bay
Associate Professor
Department of Applied Environmental Science

Eric Palkovacs | UC Santa Cruz
Professor
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Melissa Ward | University of Oxford
Post-doctoral Researcher
Adjunct Faculty, San Diego State University

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Working Lands, Waters, & Biodiversity
Held October 6th
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Climate impacts to lands and waters that are managed to fulfill some service for society, including agriculture, timberlands, rangelands, aquaculture, fisheries, and lands used for mining, and how to respond to such impacts.

Josue Medellin-Azuara | UC Merced
Associate Professor

Ben Ruttenberg | Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo
Director
Center for Coastal Marine Sciences

Jhalendra P Rijal | UC Cooperative Extension
Area IPM Advisor

Michael P. McCullough | Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo
Professor

Ajay Singh | CSU Sacramento
Assistant Professor

Yana Valachovic | UC Cooperative Extension
Forest Advisor and Humboldt – Del Norte County Director

Thomas Gates | California Energy Commission
Tribal Liaison

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About California’s 5th Climate Change Assessment
California’s 5th Climate Change Assessment is coordinated by the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP) at OPR in partnership with the California Energy Commission, California Natural Resources Agency, and California Strategic Growth Council.

About the California Council on Science and Technology
The California Council on Science and Technology is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization established via the California State Legislature — making California’s policies stronger with science and technology since 1988. We engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State policymakers — ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.