How our country responds to the growing threat of climate change is a hot topic of discussion among policy makers—and now Vermont has been given a louder voice in that conversation. That’s because Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Geography and Geosciences, Vermont State Climatologist, and immediate past president of the American Association of State Climatologists, has been appointed to serve a three-year term on the Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The Board’s job is a critical one: Its members review and make recommendations on how the United States responds to the significant challenges it’s facing in terms of weather, climate, and climate change. To add significance to her appointment, Dr. Dupigny-Giroux is the first-ever Vermont-based scientist to receive an invitation to serve on the BASC.
One of the most important projects the Board oversees is the National Climate Assessment (NCA), a periodically updated report mandated by Congress that analyzes the impacts of climate change across the country. Dr. Dupigny-Giroux, who is an expert in floods, droughts, and severe weather, has been involved with the NCA since 2000, when it was initially published. Her responsibilities have increased over time. For the Third National Climate Assessment, she worked on climate communication for the Northeast chapter. For the Fourth Assessment, which came out in 2018, she was the lead author of the Northeast chapter. Now, for the Fifth Assessment (currently underway), Dr. Dupigny-Giroux is co-writing the national chapter on water and water resources.
“What excites me most about this appointment is the opportunity to work with people who are passionate about looking at all aspects of science and not afraid to call things as they are,” says Dr. Dupigny-Giroux, a Gund Fellow and co-author of the Vermont Climate Assessment.” "We have a great responsibility because the work we do will help shape climate change thinking for the whole nation. It is a tremendous honor and privilege to be part of this Board.” Her appointment to the BASC also provides an opportunity to bring local climate-related research and work into the national climate conversation—and vice versa.
Some of that local research actually came to life in the classroom. In her fall 2022 Climatology and Natural Hazards class (GEO 246), Dr. Dupigny-Giroux worked with her students come up with a plan to help the town of Underhill, Vermont prepare for and deal with the local effects of climate change. The class spent the semester evaluating areas such as landslide, drought, and flooding risk; forest management; invasive plant species; and soil health. On December 8, 2022, the students presented their findings and recommendations to the Underhill town leadership and State of Vermont agencies.
Other Vermont towns have gotten wind of the project and have begun to show interest in developing their own plans—and that’s music to Dr. Dupigny-Giroux’s ears. “The idea is to create a pilot program that can be used going forward,” she says.
Soon after her appointment to the BASC, Dr. Dupigny-Giroux invited the class to sit in on the Board’s last bi-annual meeting of the year, eager to show them first-hand how what they’re doing locally matters on the national level. Amplifying that connection between small- and large-scale climate work is just one of the many ways she hopes to make a positive impact on the climate conversation during her time on the Board. “For me,” she says, “it’s science in the service of society.”
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