Pathways Climate Institute

Pathways Climate Institute is proud to celebrate Maryellen Hearn's 5-year Anniversary with our team! Maryellen is a Senior Resilience Flood Risk Specialist that holds leadership positions on both the Port of San Francisco's Waterfront Resilience Program to reimagine San Francisco's shoreline in response to rising seas, and the City of Alameda's Oakland Alameda Adaptation Projects in collaboration with the City of Oakland and Port of Oakland and many other agencies -- a multi-jurisdictional, multi-hazard climate adaptation planning effort that is breaking new ground in regional shoreline adaptation planning and providing best practice examples that other jurisdictions can emulate. Maryellen joined Pathways in early 2020 -- right as the world was shutting down due to the Covid Pandemic. Her passion and enthusiasm for our work were instrumental in keeping Pathways a close-knit group as we transitioned to 100% remote work. We are also incredibly thankful to Lindy Lowe for introducing Maryellen and Kris and suggesting that Maryellen would be a great fit for the Pathways team! Lindy was absolutely correct, and we are lucky to have Maryellen on our team! #happyanniversary #workanniversary #climateadaptation #risingstar

“Last year’s rate of average global sea level rise was 0.23 inches per year, higher than the expected 0.17 inches per year, NASA found. The rise follows are trend of rapidly increasing rates over the past 30 years.” This is why we have to keep doing everything we can reduce GHG emissions AND adapt to the climate impacts we can no longer avoid. And as much as some people love their waterfront property (I love living near the coast too), we can’t protect or save it all. In many areas, retreat is the most viable option. It provides room for nature to migrate inland, it provides adaptation space, and it can provide the spaces we need to address increasingly intense extreme precipitation and rising groundwater tables. Be bold! Start the conversations. Take action. *gifted article, no paywall — but apparently wapo is making people enter their email address to read the article for free, which is not the way it used to be when I gifted an article!*

Registration is OPEN for the UC Santa Coastal Sustainability and Resilience! I helped co-teach this course last semester with a host of amazing scientists, and I plan support this course again this Spring. Read the blog post with testimonials on how fun this class this :) Come join me and take this course! Together we can all increase the resilience of our coasts natural and built environments. https://lnkd.in/g-u4bBVK

Join the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and SPUR in an engaging conversation about a Flood-Resilient San Francisco. Pathways has collaborated with the SFPUC and Lotus Water on the newly released flood elevation map and a groundbreaking proposal for a flood-resilient building code aimed at safeguarding new construction in high-risk zones! Pathways Climate Institute is also supporting the Port of San Francisco's Waterfront Resilient Program, a transformative effort to protect 7.5 miles of waterfront from coastal flooding and enhance seismic safety. Register today to learn more about the innovative ways San Franciso is rising to meet the challenges of flooding and climate change! https://lnkd.in/gJ-fa5vc

I’ve gotten used to seeing homes washed out to sea on the east coast thanks to Rob Young, PhD, PG’s posts, but it’s not a regular occurrence on the California coast. Santa Cruz is leading a lot of great climate adaptation planning along their coast — but we still don’t have a good understanding of how the waves are changing in response to our warming climate. More powerful storms are bringing more rain, and we’ve confirmed this with regional climate models and validated our findings with observations from recent storms and bomb cyclones. https://lnkd.in/gQrkA8FU What we couldn’t tease out from this study (yet), is how the winds are changing. This is where I want to focus our research at Pathways Climate Institute next. Increasing wind speeds and sustained high winds are resulting in larger and more damaging waves. But most planning efforts are not considering bigger future waves. Many are not even considering bigger future storms. The storm surge, wind setup, and wave conditions associated with a 1% annual chance storm are changing — likely faster than we realize. But many scientific articles say the observed trends are not clear enough yet to make reasonable projections on the California coast (if you know of research that I am missing, let me know!). Our research at Pathways, along with our many collaborators such as Michael Wehner, Kevin Befus, Kristina Hill, Patrick Barnard, and many more, are helping San Francisco Bay Area communities plan for future extreme rainfall and rising groundwater tables as they plan for sea level rise. I’m very proud of our impact. These issues were not on the radar of planners just a few years ago. I would love to focus next on wind and waves. In meeting with my clients, as they often gloss over consideration of the waves, I have often felt like I was beating a drum and saying “I am the Lorax and I speak for the waves!” (And yes, I have really said this, even in meetings with USACE). In Santa Cruz, “The National Weather Service said that coastal buoys saw “significantly higher wave heights” on Monday than models anticipated.” “A coastal flood warning and a high surf advisory were in effect for the region until noon and 6 p.m. Tuesday respectively, with waves reaching 30 to 40 feet, and some breaking waves potentially hitting 60 feet in exposed areas.” This isn’t just a climate adaptation issue. It’s a life safety issue. And the impacts are happening now. https://lnkd.in/gEmSY47h

We are hiring! We are looking for a Senior Climate Risk Analyst with strong written and verbal communication skills who enjoys (and excels at) mentoring and supporting junior staff. If you are contemplating a career change as we enter 2025, check out our job posting and see if you might be the unicorn we are looking for! https://lnkd.in/gQS2Y3Hi This a hybrid position. Prospective employees must be located in the San Franisco Bay Area. Relocation assistance is not available. We offer a competitive salary (based on experience, skill level, and education), opportunities for bonuses, 401k with company match, medical, dental, vision, paid vacation, and more! Pathways is an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive company culture. We value diverse experiences and encourage applicants from all backgrounds and perspectives to apply. However, all applicants must be legally able to work in the U.S. Relocation assistance is not available. We are a very small, research-based firm with a team of staff that are very passionate and committed to helping communities mitigate and adapt to climate change. https://lnkd.in/gQS2Y3Hi

County of San Mateo gathered local residents and stakeholders to learn about the sea level rise risks facing Princeton and to engage in a collaborative activity aimed at envisioning the future of Princeton. Pathways Climate Institute developed a customized version of the "Game of Floods" to help local residents assess the sea level rise vulnerability of their community and to identify potential adaptation strategies to reduce the risk of future flooding, some of which may be incorporated into Plan Princeton. Plan Princeton is part of a comprehensive effort to update land use plans, development policies, and zoning regulations for Princeton which is to be completed in Spring 2025. This project also reunited Claire Bonham-Carter and Kris May, PhD PE, who worked together on previous versions of the Game of Floods. Sierra Ramer played a large role in the customization of the game, alongside our graphic designer, Sam Peddy. Summer Burlison, Bharat Singh, and Katie Faulkner with the County of San Mateo Planning and Building Department were instrumental in testing and providing feedback on the game before the first live Game Day with the public. The post-game play summary is available on the County's website: https://lnkd.in/gyZUV7Tc

Pathways Climate Institute is proud to announce that two of our team members were tapped to support the U.S. Global Change Research Program's Sixth National Climate Assessment (#NCA6). Lindsay Luchinsky is a Chapter Author and Graphics Development Lead for the Northeast Chapter! This is Lindsay’s first NCA and represents a significant achievement in her career, recognizing her commitment to clear climate science communication. Kris May, PhD PE is a Chapter Author for the Southwest Chapter, which includes California. This is Kris’s third NCA. Kris served as the Lead Author for the Coasts Chapter for #NCA5 and Lead Author for the Northwest Chapter for #NCA4. The expected release date of #NCA6 is late 2027 / early 2028. Stay tuned for more NCA6-related updates!

The Pathways Climate Institute team enjoyed a field day in Santa Cruz, CA and northern Monterey County in support of two of our projects on the central California coast. Walking the shoreline and visiting the local communities is invaluable when you are working on climate vulnerability and adaptation projects. We are excited to be working with Environmental Science Associates and Farallon Strategies on the City of Santa Cruz Living Shorelines Project, and with Environmental Science Associates and Cambridge Systematics, Inc. on the Transportation Agency of Monterey County's Regional Climate Vulnerability Assessment. Both counties are already experiencing the impacts of climate change as intense winter storms with high winds, large waves, and heavy precipitation have battered coastal areas and flooded low-lying communities. Meagan Brown, Katie Riles, Sierra Ramer, Kris May, PhD PE, Daisy Ramirez Lopez

Had a great time yesterday getting to learn more about coastal resilience efforts and wellbeing equity from Janelle Kellman, Esq. (She/Her)! We got to hear from panelists about shifting power to those (both human and nonhuman) who are closest to the impact of adaptation decision-making, and ensuring inclusivity in the oceans science workforce is a key aspect of this work. Thank you to Pathways Climate Institute for this great opportunity, and I'm looking forward to more great events during the rest of #ClimateWeek!