Meeting with Sustainable Cities Network of Arizona

Thursday, lonAD, 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Sheraton Hotel - Estrella
Meeting with Sustainable Cities Network of Arizona

 

Volunteers for the Sustainable Cities Network of Arizona during the Annual Meeting in Phoenix

AMS will hold an informational event for members of Sustainable Cities Network officials:

Time: 9-11 am MST, 10 January 2019 Thursday (last day of the AMS Annual Meeting)

Place: Sheraton Grand Phoenix Hotel (AMS Headquarters Hotel)

Subject: Questions below related to sustainable cities

Expected attendees: 30-60 invited managers and staff from local/state/regional organizations

Format: 6-7 tables with volunteers sitting at each table, interacting with attendees.

Categories of Questions

1. Sustainable cities; e.g.,

  • In Arizona, summer temperatures can reach upwards 120°F.  What can be done to make heat and its adverse effects more visible in communities? How can we educate people and bring awareness to these issues? What public policies are effectively being used either nationally or internationally?

Participating Scientists:

  • Julia Kumari Drapkin [email protected] CEO and Founder, ISeeChange.org
  • Melissa Guardaro [email protected] Ph.D. student at AZ St U, official AAUW
    representative at UN (2012-2016)

2. Communication of climate change; e.g.,

  • The effects of climate change in Arizona are less visible than in regions that suffer from increasingly disastrous hurricanes or experience rising sea levels.  How can we show the urgency and vulnerability to the changes in our climate to stakeholders in the Sustainable Cities Network (SCN; policymakers, citizens, etc.) so that it is equally as important as these other catastrophic events?

Participating Scientists:

  • Dan Li [email protected] assistant professor, Boston U
  • Kelly Graham [email protected] NASA Graduate Fellow (Ph.D. student) at Florida St U, Graduate Women in Science Media Outreach Chair

3. Climate adaptation and mitigation, e.g.,

  • Is cloud seeding to encourage rain a viable option for Arizona and other states dealing with a long-term drought?  What success has this yielded nationally/internationally? This generally involves the use of chemicals, so is this also harmful to the environment and/or general populations?  Does this impact surrounding weather patterns?
  • Given future climate models, what actions can cities take now to cool their urban environments (e.g. trees, vegetation, pavements, materials)?

Participating Scientists:

  • David Hondula [email protected] AZ St. U assistant professor on climate and
    health, prior experience interacting with stakeholders
  • Jiali Wang [email protected] DOE Argonne National Lab scientist on climate change
    and extremes

4. Community planning for climate change, e.g.,

  • Several cities in the SCN are looking to adopt Climate Action Plans. What are some of the current best practices, good models and resources, and outreach materials from Climate Action Plans implemented in other communities

Participating Scientists:

5. Weather and climate science; e.g., 

  • Related to weather patterns from other areas impacting AZ:
    • Hw do the wildfires and extreme weather of the northwest and western US affect weather patterns in AZ and NM? What impacts will be felt by cities in the Phoenix Metro region?
    • Hw does deforestation in southern Mexico affect weather patterns, particularly monsoons, in Arizona and New Mexico?  What kind f global impacts can be felt by cities in the SCN – in the Phoenix Metro area and beyond?

Participating Scientists:

6. Weather and climate monitoring, e.g.,

  • How are satellite imaging and satellite monitoring being used to evaluate resiliency with respect to extreme weather events (heat wave, flood, dust storm)?

Participating Scientists:

  • McPherson, Renee A. [email protected] DOI South Central Climate Adaptation Science
    Center Director, associate prof., U. Oklahoma
  • Ajay Raghavendra [email protected] Ph.D. student, SUNY-Albany, former FAA
    pilot, flight, and ground instructor