- Climate Change Impacts and Projections for the Greater Boston Area: Findings of the Greater Boston Research Advisory Group Report
- Wednesday, January 15, 2025. 12pm - 1:00pm
- In-person and Virtual event. No registration required.
- State Library of Massachusetts - Room 341, Massachusetts State House
- Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/user/mastatelibrary
The State Library of Massachusetts Author Talks Series kicks off 2025 with a presentation on climate change specific to Boston and the surrounding area. Ellen Douglas, PhD and Paul Kirshen, PhD from UMass Boston will be speaking on their report, Climate Change Impacts and Projections for the Greater Boston Area.
Please join us at noon in our historic reading room or tune in virtually; the event will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel courtesy of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Broadcast Services.
Be sure to sign up for our Author Talks newsletter and follow our social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, and X) for the latest information on our visiting authors. If you are unable to attend, the recording will be posted to our YouTube channel to watch anytime - view all past recordings here!
About the Report
Published in 2022, this climate change report is a follow-up to the notable 2016 report focused on the City of Boston, published by the Boston Research Advisory Group. This updated report goes beyond Boston to include analysis of 101 cities and towns that make up the greater, metropolitan area of Boston. Douglas and Kirshen delve into the specific climate risks to this area including temperatures, storms, and sea level rise. Read the full abstract and access the article as a downloadable PDF for free via UMass Boston School for the Environment Publications; article link.
About the Authors
Ellen Douglas - Dr. Ellen Douglas is a hydrologist and engineer with broad expertise in the analysis of water-related issues. Ellen was a professor in the School for the Environment at UMass Boston for 17 years, researching the impacts of climate change on coastal and inland communities across New England before joining the AECOM team in August 2023. Her role at AECOM includes managing projects related to climate resilient infrastructure. She has authored or co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and technical reports. She was a contributing author for the 2013 U.S. National Climate Assessment and the IPCC Fifth and Sixth Assessment Reports. Ellen spent nine months as a Fulbright Fellow in Australia (2013-14) working with the CSIRO on the Water Values and Benefits project.
Ellen is a first-generation college graduate and one of only two members of a large extended family to earn a PhD. She lives at CanDo Acres, a small hobby farm in Fremont, NH along with dogs, horses and goats. She spends most of her free time managing the farm, riding her horse and her Trek road bike.
Paul Kirshen - Dr. Paul Kirshen has 45 years of experience serving as Principal Investigator/Project Manager of complex, interdisciplinary, participatory research related to water resources and coastal zone management and climate variability and change. He is presently Professor in the School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, Founding Core Faculty Member of the UMass Boston Sustainable Solutions Laboratory, which focuses upon climate justice, and the founding Director (now Research Director) of the Stone Living Lab, a partnership of UMass Boston, Boston Harbor Now, and some government organizations. This Lab conducts research on the socio-economic and biophysical performance of coastal Nature-Based Systems for coastal flood protection. He is also a Visiting Professor in the Civil Engineering Department at Tufts University.
He has been conducting research and consulting on the integrated vulnerability of metro Boston to present and future climates and adaptation/management strategies since 1990 and presently supports the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the City, and metro Boston in these activities. His research has been cited by the US Supreme Court (No. 05-1120, decided April 2, 2007). Since 2008, the consideration of environmental justice and equity has been an explicit focus of all research. Climate change adaptation experience has also been in other parts of the US, the Caribbean, and India. He has over 100 journal articles on these topics and numerous technical reports. He has received both academic and civic awards for this research. He was a Lead Author of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (water resources in North America) and the 2014 US National Climate Assessment (coastal zone). He received his ScB in Engineering from Brown University and his MS and PhD in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
As always, this author talk is free and open to all. Assisted listening devices will be made available upon request. If you are able to join us in person for this talk, attendees will be able to participate in a question-and-answer session with the authors. Any questions or concerns, please email us at AuthorTalks.StateLibrary@mass.gov.
For more information on the State Library Author talks series, please visit our site.
Author Talks Working Group
Ellen is a first-generation college graduate and one of only two members of a large extended family to earn a PhD. She lives at CanDo Acres, a small hobby farm in Fremont, NH along with dogs, horses and goats. She spends most of her free time managing the farm, riding her horse and her Trek road bike.
He has been conducting research and consulting on the integrated vulnerability of metro Boston to present and future climates and adaptation/management strategies since 1990 and presently supports the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the City, and metro Boston in these activities. His research has been cited by the US Supreme Court (No. 05-1120, decided April 2, 2007). Since 2008, the consideration of environmental justice and equity has been an explicit focus of all research. Climate change adaptation experience has also been in other parts of the US, the Caribbean, and India. He has over 100 journal articles on these topics and numerous technical reports. He has received both academic and civic awards for this research. He was a Lead Author of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (water resources in North America) and the 2014 US National Climate Assessment (coastal zone). He received his ScB in Engineering from Brown University and his MS and PhD in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
As always, this author talk is free and open to all. Assisted listening devices will be made available upon request. If you are able to join us in person for this talk, attendees will be able to participate in a question-and-answer session with the authors. Any questions or concerns, please email us at AuthorTalks.StateLibrary@mass.gov.
For more information on the State Library Author talks series, please visit our site.
Author Talks Working Group
