By Douglas Esser
Too many discussions about climate change end in a conversation about reducing greenhouse gases, says Margaret Redsteer, an assistant professor in UW Bothell鈥檚聽School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences.
That鈥檚 not a bad conversation, but it鈥檚 too late. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no real discussion about the fact that climate change is already here,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he oceans already have absorbed a significant amount of heat. The polar ice caps are already melting. There already is extreme weather. There already are more heat waves, significant floods and bigger hurricanes. 鈥淲e have all these effects,鈥 she said, 鈥渞ight now.鈥
Science responds
How do we respond to the impacts of climate change? That鈥檚 the discussion Redsteer encourages as a teacher, a researcher and member of the scientific community. She served on the advisory board for the initiative. Published in September, the initiative鈥檚 report links to resources and 18 multimedia stories that serve as examples of how communities respond to climate change. 鈥淗ow We Respond鈥 follows the AAAS 2014 report 鈥淲hat We Know鈥 that presented evidence of human-caused climate change. The AAAS is the world鈥檚 largest body of scientists, and it鈥檚 holding its . Redsteer will lead a on the 鈥淗ow We Respond鈥 initiative.
Tribes lead
One of the report鈥檚 case studies is about the Yurok Tribe along the Klamath River in northern California. The tribe is trying to save a dwindling population of salmon that is critical to its culture. In response to warming water temperatures, erosion, drought and wildfires, the tribe entered a carbon cap-and-trade program and a dam-removal agreement. To make the land more resilient, the tribe also burns patches of forest to lessen the severity of wildfires. On the Washington coast, the Quinault Indian Nation has a plan to move the village of Taholah back from the Pacific beach where it is at risk of flooding. 鈥淭he plan they have is forward-thinking,鈥 Redsteer said 鈥渂ecause they also look at how wetlands play a role in mitigating flood hazards.鈥
Policy matters
The Quinault tribe is one of the case studies UW Bothell students consider in Redsteer鈥檚 course Climate Change Adaptation Policy. New to campus, Redsteer first taught the class in spring 2019 and will offer it again next spring. 鈥淭he students know a lot about climate change and about greenhouse gases,鈥 Redsteer said, 鈥渂ut they don鈥檛 know about climate change adaptation, how to respond to and address the impacts of climate change.鈥 In discussing policy, the class also considers issues of environmental justice. 鈥淲hen you don鈥檛 have a policy, the people who have the means will find a way to adapt 鈥 and people who don鈥檛 have the means will be left out to fend for themselves,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hat is externalizing the cost of climate change on people who can least afford it. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we need to be thinking about the impact.鈥
Research agenda
Margaret Redsteer UW Bothell Redsteer joined the UW Bothell faculty in 2018, after 20 years as a research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), focusing on indigenous communities in northern Arizona. In 2013 she received the Leadership Award from the Society of Native American Government Employees. Redsteer was the lead author on the 2014 National Climate Assessment chapter describing climate change issues relating to Native American communities. She also was first author of a chapter about Navajo tribal elders in the 2018 book 鈥淚ndigenous Knowledge for Climate Assessment & Adaptation.鈥 She is still finishing up USGS research on sand dunes and climate change on the Navajo reservation, and she plans to examine climate-related hazards in the Pacific Northwest as well.
Issues and disasters
Redsteer has found that students are interested in her Climate Change Adaption Policy course and two other courses she teaches: Introduction to Environmental Issues, and Natural Hazards and Human Disasters. 鈥淲e talk about earthquakes and volcanoes, and we also talk about droughts and flood and hurricanes and the sea level rise 鈥 all of the extreme events that are becoming more extreme with climate change,鈥 she said of the disasters course. The intro course includes more discussion of fossil fuels, recycling, deforestation and how agricultural systems are tied to environmental health. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 really great is I end up with a lot of media and communication students in my class,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 love taking advantage of that because one of the things we really need is better media and communication on these issues.鈥
Change maker
鈥淚 want people to think about climate change adaption not just mitigation,鈥 said Redsteer. 鈥淲e have to make sure we have policies in place that protect people.鈥 This is why she鈥檚 involved in the 鈥淗ow We Respond鈥 initiative and why she teaches about climate change adaptation. 鈥淲e really need to do more than think about greenhouse gases. We need to think about what we鈥檙e going to do to remain safe in a changing climate.鈥
