Climate Conversations: Extreme Events; NAS
A conversation about how to prepare for and face increasingly extreme events in a changing climate.
A recording of the webinar is available here.
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About this Event
As a result of climate change, extreme events such as floods, wildfires, storms, and heat waves are already becoming more dangerous and destructive. Marshall Shepherd (University of Georgia) moderated a conversation with Craig Fugate (former FEMA Administrator) and Marissa Aho (Washington State Department of Natural Resources) about the connections between climate change and extreme events, and about how communities and governments at different scales can plan for and become more resilient to the risks from extreme events today and into the future.
Climate Conversations: Pathways to Action is a monthly webinar series from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that aims to convene high-level, cross-cutting, nonpartisan conversations about issues relevant to national policy action on climate change.
Participant Bios
Marissa Aho is the Policy Director and Chief Resilience Officer for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. She previously served as the Chief Resilience Officer for both the City of Houston and the City of Los Angeles, where she led the development and implementation of the cities’ resilience strategies, which focused on preparing for catastrophic events and addressing chronic stressors.
Craig Fugate served as President Obama’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator from 2009-2017 and currently provides senior level advice and consultation in the area of disaster management and resiliency policy. He led FEMA through multiple record-breaking disaster years and oversaw the Federal Government’s response to major events such as the Joplin and Moore Tornadoes, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Matthew, and the 2016 Louisiana flooding.
J. Marshall Shepherd is the Director of the University of Georgia’s Atmospheric Sciences Program and the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences. A leading international expert in weather and climate, he is the former President of the American Meteorological Society, a Senior Contributor to Forbes magazine, and the host of The Weather Channel’s award-winning Sunday talk show Weather Geeks.