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<title>yellow-leafed Quaking Aspen Archives - The Utah Statesman</title>
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<title>Visiting University of Utah professor William Anderegg speaks on climate change factors</title>
<link>https://usustatesman.com/visiting-university-of-utah-professor-william-anderegg-speaks-on-climate-change-factors/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lacey Cintron]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 29 Jan 2024 13:45:02 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[All]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Lifestyles]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[air quality]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[Department of Environment and Society.]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[drought]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Utah]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[wildfires]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[yellow-leafed Quaking Aspen]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://usustatesman.com/?p=22127901</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Dying forests, destructive wildfires and mass extinction — these are just some of many problems faced by ecosystems around the…</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/visiting-university-of-utah-professor-william-anderegg-speaks-on-climate-change-factors/">Visiting University of Utah professor William Anderegg speaks on climate change factors</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span data-contrast="auto">Dying forests, destructive wildfires and mass extincti</span><span data-contrast="auto">on </span><span data-contrast="auto">—</span><span data-contrast="auto"> the</span><span data-contrast="auto">se are just some of many problems faced by ecosystems around the globe due to climate change. Stories of a dying Earth have dominated headlines for years.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">William Anderegg, director of the Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy, is an associate professor of biology at the University of Utah. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Anderegg visited Utah State University to host the Ecology Center Seminar series Jan. 17 and 18, where he discussed his research on the survival of Earth’s forests in a rapidly changing climate. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">According to un.org, public awareness of global warming and ozone layer depletion increased in 1987 when the United Nations General Assembly took on the “Year 2000 and Beyond” perspective, a conceptual framework for taking environmental action. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">The following two years marked the first in which nations came together to take effort against the effects of climate change via conventions focused on new response strategies. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">However, multiple studies suggest the world has not kept up with these projected climate goals.</span><span data-contrast="auto"> According to The World Resources Institute, “41 of 42 indicators assessed are not on track to achieve their 2030 targets.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">The future of the Earth’s forests has been a particular interest for climate scientists such as Anderegg. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“We do most of our work on western U.S. forests,” Anderegg said. “We’re trying to understand how droughts, temperatures, wildfires and insect outbreaks are going to affect these forests in the coming decades.”</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Anderegg said the biggest impacts on forests are wildfires, drought and biotic stressors such as pests. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“We are absolutely seeing in the western U.S. that these climate stresses are already dominating and having bigger effects,” Anderegg said. “Fire and drought are some of the biggest ones. They can devastate forests when they come through.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Anderegg said the way these factors interact with a forest ecosystem are complex, making solutions hard to work out. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“Forests are perched on this knife edge between two opposing forces with climate change,” Anderegg said. “On one hand, raising CO2 levels can help plants and allow them to do more photosynthesis. But on the other hand, you have stresses like fires and droughts that come with rising CO2 levels.”</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Extreme winter weather is another example of climate change effects having conflicting positive and negative impacts on forests.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“If trees are not adapted to the cold and snow, you can absolutely lose trees from that,” Anderegg said. “One thing that cold does, though, is it tends to kill overwintering beetles and pests, which slows down those pest populations.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">While cold winters may benefit forest populations in states such as Utah or Maine whose trees are adapted, according to kut.org, states such as Texas or Tennessee can suffer devastating effects without preparation.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“Utah trees are pretty well adapted to the cold, so in general, this cold and snow is going to be generally positive for them,” Anderegg said.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">According to Anderegg, droughts have devastated forests in Utah.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“We’ve had a number of drought-driven forest die-offs,” Anderegg said. “We had a lot of Pinyon pines die in the early 2000s. Quite a bit of Aspen experienced die-offs in the past decade. The 2018 drought saw a number of Utah Junipers start to die from drought stress.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">The yellow-leafed quaking aspen is Utah’s state tree. It carries a lot of value in the tourism industry.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“These are really iconic species in our western landscapes,” Anderegg said. “Aspens provide habitat for deer and elk and other wildlife. These species also provide a lot of clean air, water and all these other benefits that we tend to take for granted.”</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Anderegg said emissions reduction and proper management are some of the best solutions. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“Slowing the speed of climate change by reducing emissions is really helpful,” Anderegg said. “The U.S. has made some good progress on that and if we can accelerate, that will really benefit us. Regionally, we can work to build more climate-resilient forests through smart management.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Forest die-off is just one example of climate change’s toll on local environments. According to utahrivers.org, temperatures in Utah are projected to rise 3 degrees by 2050, resulting in less snow, megadroughts, plant and animal extinction. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">The trends observed in Utah can be seen across the world in varying extremes. As more stories are told of climate change’s increasingly drastic effects, the more some professionals in the field look towards prior civilizations that faced collapse. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Joseph Tainter is a professor at Utah State University in the Department of Environment and Society. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“Back in the 1980s, I did a study of why ancient societies collapsed,” Tainter said. “As I was doing this study, I realized that what I was learning had implications for ourselves today and for our future.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Tainter wrote a book titled </span><span data-contrast="auto">“</span><span data-contrast="auto">The Collapse of Complex Societies</span><span data-contrast="auto">”</span><span data-contrast="auto"> based on this research, in which he wrote societies fail when “their investments in social complexity and energy subsidies reach a point of diminishing marginal returns.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Tainter relates this argument to energy usage in the 1940s and the downward trend in return on investment. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“In 1940, we produced oil and gas at an energy profit of 100 to one,” Tainter said. </span><span data-contrast="auto">“</span><span data-contrast="auto">For every one barrel of oil we would spend, we’d get 100 back. That’s now down to 10 to one. This trend is irreversible.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Tainter blames this drop in energy investment returns on human tendency to quickly use up the easiest sources of supply. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“As we do with every resource we undertake</span><span data-contrast="auto">,</span><span data-contrast="auto"> we pluck the lowest hanging fruit,” Tainter said.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">However, when speaking of the climate crisis today, Tainter does not see collapse. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“I don’t see an immediate crisis,” Tainter said. “But I do think our way of life will change quite a bit by the end of this century.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Utilizing his background as a historian, Tainter has recently oriented his research around sustainability to contextualize society today with information from the past. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“I have come to focus on two elements I think are essential to a sustainable society,” Tainter said. “They’re energy and innovation.”</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">The first steps towards balancing sustainability, energy and innovation are time, awareness and a change in attitude. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span><span data-contrast="auto">“It takes a long transition. It takes a change in attitude,” Tainter said. “But at the same time, people don’t want to give up their current way of life.”</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Tainter said invoking change and changing perspectives begins in the classroom. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“I would spend a lot of time talking with K-12 educators,” Tainter said. “We have to learn to think broadly in time and space. As it is now, most people live their lives day-to-day, and broader issues aren’t considered. I wonder if you started teaching this to children at a young age, to think broadly about the world, that it would bring about the future.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Anderegg said the pessimism climate change is typically regarded with isn’t entirely helpful. Instead, it helps to be aware of what is being done right.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“Folks don’t really know a lot of the news, and there is a ton of good news,” Anderegg said. “I think telling those good news stories is important. We have to be sober about the risks we face, but we also need to highlight that there is a lot we can do and are doing.”</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Despite the current reality of climate change, there are many success stories and strategies underway to combat its effects. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“Renewables this last year hit 22% of the U.S. grid,” Anderegg said. “A decade or two ago, it was at 7%. There are also a lot more electric vehicles getting sold.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Anderegg said clean energy goes a long way in reducing climate change.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“Cleaning up the electricity sector and converting things to electricity gets us about 60-70% of the way to solving climate change,” Anderegg said. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">According to Tainter, the Department of Environment and Society</span><span data-contrast="auto"> </span><span data-contrast="auto"> is actively studying climate change’s effects to create solutions. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“There are people working at it, certainly in my college and in Natural Resources,” Tainter said. “There’s an interest in climate change and how climate change will affect vegetation zones and wildlife.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Anderegg said this decade is a key window for sustainability, and people must continue trying. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“I am much more optimistic about our ability to tackle climate change than I was five or 10 years ago,” Anderegg said. “There’s been a huge amount of progress.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"> </span></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/visiting-university-of-utah-professor-william-anderegg-speaks-on-climate-change-factors/">Visiting University of Utah professor William Anderegg speaks on climate change factors</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p>
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