Letter from the Director

Hi Folks,

Happy Fall. Since our last newsletter, our team and close partners have published exciting results, convened critical partners, built new climate computing infrastructure, and continued working diligently to change policy and practice.

We made a major investment and are working with Information Technology Services to bring a new supercomputer, “Elkhorn,” online to support climate researchers across the university. Elkhorn quadruples the resources previously provided campus wide.  The system now available for researchers includes 4608 CPUs; 8 GPUs; 42 TB RAM and 5 PB storage. The name Elkhorn acknowledges our local wetlands, as well as the coral that protects Caribbean communities and the elk that once thrived on the Central Coast. Stay tuned for details on applying for access.

With our partners at Moody’s and The Nature Conservancy, the Center just published a new study quantifying the benefits of mangroves for protecting homeowner. The research pinpointed the value of mangroves for reducing property damages from Hurricanes Irma ($725M) and Ian ($1.4B), and found that mangroves reduce storm surge losses by $67M annually in Collier County, Florida.

Our calendars have also been full of conferences. In June, a group of faculty and fellows traveled to Nice, France for the third UN Oceans Conference, where we showcased some our latest work including game-engine driven visuals of risks from climate change and habitat loss. In November, we reconvene with global climate leaders and researchers for the UN Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belem, Brazil.

In early fall, we collaborated with the UCSC Science Communication Program to host the first-ever Communicating Climate Solutions Symposium, which brought together researchers and journalists to share innovative ways to communicate climate change with communities around the world. We also supported a landmark meeting of Indigenous leaders from Belize and Central California, led by our partners in the Center for Reimagining Leadership. Finally, we just wrapped up our Fall Research Symposium with more than 30 Center project leads giving lightning talks and building connections.

Looking ahead, Senior Fellow Dr. Heather Tallis will co-chair the inaugural Economic Futures Summit, November 4-6. The event will convene Indigenous leaders to explore and invest in Indigenous-led sustainability solutions for climate resilience. CCCR will also be participating in the UCSC Giving Day on November 5. Look for more information from us that day about joining in this initiative and supporting the Center.

We look forward to continuing to build community and climate resilience, and we thank you for joining us in this work.

– Michael W. Beck, Director