Climate Impacts on the Pacific Northwest

Winter Quarter 2007
ATMS 585A / ENVIR 585A / ESS 585A / SMA 585A
Amy Snover & Nathan Mantua

White Paper Assignment

Jump to ...

• Purpose
• Audience
• Group Work
• Proposal
• Format & Content of the Paper
• Format & Content of the Oral Presentation
• Evaluation Criteria
• Self-Evaluation of Group Work
• Additional Resources (includes sample white papers)

Purpose

In the white paper assignment, you are charged with either:

1. presenting a policy proposal for improving a specific aspect of regional natural resource management by using information about current and/or future patterns of PNW climate, or
2. critiquing an existing or proposed regional policy, based on its compatibility with current understanding of the impacts of climate variability and/or change on the resource.

Specifically, we expect you to assess and describe the utility of using one or more of the following types of climate information:

• seasonal to interannual climate forecasts,
• current understanding of range of regional natural climate variability, and/or
• projected anthropogenic climate change.

Audience

Aim your paper directly at the people who could make the change you propose.

Group Work

You will be assigned to an interdisciplinary group of 3-4 students for this project.

Proposal

A brief (<= 1 page) discussion of your proposed topic is due January 30. We ask that each of you meet with us to discuss your proposed topic prior to submitting the proposal. The proposal should include as much information as you can about (1) the natural resource decision-making context, including information about why climate information might be valuable to planning/decision making, (2) the anticipated role of climate information in this decision, and (3) key sources that you intend to draw on in your research.

Format & Content of the Paper

For the most part, the white paper should be written as if it would actually be submitted to the people who could make the change you propose. You may need to include some additional background information (on the agency/decision in question, for example) that the instructors would need to understand the paper.

The white paper itself should be 10-15 pages long (including figures, tables, and references). It should include a one page executive summary. Think of this (and your in-class presentation) as a chance to boil your argument and the supporting evidence down to its most convincing essence – oftentimes, the executive summary is all that the policy-making higher ups will read. Does it contain all the information you need to convince them? As supporting material, the paper should include your conceptual model (Kaje diagram) for the system under consideration.

Each white paper should include a discussion of the following elements and the interaction among them:

• The natural/environmental context: included in this part should be a discussion of any biotic or physical interactions important to the topic, as well as the climate context. With respect to the climate context, you might discuss the relevant modes of natural climate variability, the potential for skillful climate forecasts, and/or a brief summary of climate change scenarios for a few to many decades into the future. You should also include a discussion of current understanding of climate impacts on the natural resource of interest and the current role of climate information in management of the target resource. Be sure to provide examples of how specific climate forecasts or climate change projections could be applied.
• The economic context: What are the economic forces influencing this issue? Which group(s) of people is (are) involved? Are local, regional, or global economic forces driving the utilization of relevant resources? What are the economic risks and rewards associated with an increased use of climate information? Who might the "winners" and "losers" be if climate changes in the future?
• The institutional/legal context: Which institutions are involved in decision-making? Identify and discuss specific laws, mandates and/or agreements that frame the decision-making process. Is the current institutional framework adaptable to change and surprise? Is it flexible to slowly changing environmental and/or market conditions?

Some other questions to consider: Are there specific barriers that must be overcome before improved or innovative use of climate information is possible? How do you propose to overcome them? Are there consequences to ignoring climate information?

Format & Content of the Oral Presentation

You should begin by identifying the target audience for the policy you propose and providing the class (which will assume the role of your intended audience) with any information it needs to assume this role. You should then make your presentation as if it were to this audience. Both your classmates and the instructors will evaluate the soundness and convincingness of your proposal and will provide feedback that should be incorporated in your final paper.

Criteria for Evaluation of Final Paper

Please present a clear, focused, well-developed and substantiated argument; write clearly and carefully; and get the facts right. A quality paper:

• is on a topic of interest or importance to managers in the region and is directed to those who could make or implement the change you propose
• includes a one-page executive summary
• includes (as supporting material) your Kaje diagram for the system
• has analytical depth, discussing the three decision contexts (described above) and their interaction in detail
• is clear, fun to read, well-organized and presented
• has been edited and substantially revised at least once.

Self-Evaluation of Group Work

On the due date of the white paper, each team member must turn in a written statement evaluating the work done in his/her group. The guidelines for this evaluation can be found here.

Each team's project will be graded as a whole. The grade given to each team member will be scaled based on how they were evaluated by their teammates.

Additional Resources

We will be happy to provide feedback at any stage of the project, from engaging in discussions and/or brainstorming sessions to commenting on drafts.

Sample white papers from previous students are linked below. Note that while these papers all examine the intersection between the natural/environmental, economic, and institutional/legal contexts of a climate/resource issue, they do not all incorporate all of the elements (described above) that we expect to see in your white papers.

"Incorporating Climate Information into Management Strategies for the Mountain Pine Beetle in Central British Columbia, Canada" (by Ze'ev Gedalof)

"Using Climate Information in Fisheries Stock Assessments (with a focus on Pacific Whiting)" (by Ian Taylor)

"The American Forest Foundation as a Carbon Aggregator: Overseeing a carbon offset cooperative for PNW non-industrial private landowners" (by Edie Sonne)

"Climate, Weather, and Puget Sound Landslides" (by Ian Kraucunas)

"Out of the Frying Pan, or Into the Fire? Incorporating Climate Change and Climate Variability into the Federal Fire Plan" (by Jeremy Littell)