Colorado State University
IN-48: Innovation B

CSU has been investing in building interdisciplinary research efforts, integrated with engagement and education, on climate change adaptation. Climate adaptation focuses on the social and ecological adaptation to novel conditions under climate change, and research on climate adaptation has received relatively less emphasis and support in the past compared with climate change mitigation and prediction. The Office of the Vice President for Research beginning in 2021 funded a new, interdisciplinary team, with members from the Water Center, School of Global Environmental Sustainability, and four different colleges, to pursue two main objectives: 1) interdisciplinary research on climate adaptation and 2) policymaker and stakeholder outreach related to climate adaptation. To date the group has won research funding to look at social and ecological aspects of fire, forest, and rangeland management, with a specific focus on Indigenous perspectives on social and ecological resilience in the face of climate change. They have developed funding proposals to look at the intersection of water and agriculture, and to pursue climate-smart reforestation and drought planning by bringing together researchers, federal agency climate hubs, and extension agents to better serve communities. In addition, members of the team are developing a graduate certificate program in Climate Adaptation and Risk Management.