UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Climate Consortium has awarded funding to four research projects through its Climate Solutions Accelerator Program. Through this program, the consortium aims to put promising climate solutions into action via interdisciplinary partnerships. Each of these projects were part of the Climate Solutions Accelerator Level 2 call for proposals. 

“Our four selected projects excelled in all our criteria, including transdisciplinary potential, research innovation, ethical dimensions, and measurable and sustained impact,” said Erica Smithwick, director of the Penn State Climate Consortium. “The projects funded through our accelerator program demonstrate the tremendous potential of Penn State to address the climate challenges in the commonwealth through partnerships and innovation.” 

Smithwick said the chosen projects span health, policy, nature-based solutions and Indigenous land stewardship, reflecting the breadth of Penn State's contributions to addressing the climate crisis in local and global communities. 

The four awarded project titles, with principal investigators listed first followed by collaborators and their organizations, are: 

• "Resilience and Equity in Addressing Climate Health," Erica Husser, assistant research professor, Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing; Ken Davis, Penn State; Marie Boltz, Penn State; Jennifer L. Kraschnewski, Penn State; Michael McShane, Penn State; Valerie Keppenne, Penn State; Katie Noss, Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers; Rebecca May-Cole, Pennsylvania Association of Area Agencies on Aging; George Garrow, Primary Health Network; Jessica Gall Myrick, Penn State; Kristina Brant, Penn State; and Jonathan Guseman, National Weather Service 

• "Augmenting Climate Transition across the Atlantic Transect: Extension-driven Solutions to Implementing Socially Responsible, High-Integrity Forest Carbon Offsets (ACT-AT Forests)," Melissa Kreye, associate professor of forest resources management, College of Agricultural Sciences; Christopher Scott, Goddard Chair and Professor, Penn State; Margot Kaye, Penn State; Margarita Fernández, Penn State; Carlos Sanquetta, Universidade Federal do Paraná; Sebastián Fragni, GMF Nature Based Solutions; Sergio Alonso Orrego, Universidad Nacional de Colombia; and Magnolia Longo, Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano  

• "Co-Design of a Sustainable Environmental Monitoring Network as a Climate Solution to Protect Indigenous Lands and Promote Ethical Conservation Practices by Fossil Fuel Industries," Belén Noroña, assistant professor of geography, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences; Rachel Brennan, Penn State; Guido Cervone, Penn State; Hamid Emami-Meybodi, Penn State; Shujie Wang, Penn State; Alicia Iverson, Penn State; and Xavier Soliz, legal expert and adviser to the Kichwa community 

• "Implementing State-Level Climate Change Policy and Management for Water Resources," Christine Kirchhoff, associate professor of law, policy, and engineering, College of Engineering; Lindsay Correa, California Department of Water Resources; Christopher Hyun, California State Water Resources Control Board; Sara Hughes, RAND; Kripa Jagannathan, University of California, Berkeley; Andrew Schwarz, California Department of Water Resources; Julia Ekstrom, California Department of Water Resources; and Antonia Hadjimichael, Penn State 

Husser’s project aims to improve climate readiness and response at the individual, clinical, and health and social system levels by researching, educating and supporting Pennsylvania's Community Health Centers and Area Agencies on Aging to better serve vulnerable populations, including economically disadvantaged individuals and older adults. 

“Our team is exploring system readiness related to extreme heat, flooding and worsening air quality among Community Health Centers and Area Agencies on Aging, which are publicly funded to serve anyone regardless of ability to pay and older adults, respectively,” Husser said. “By targeting these systems, we can begin to understand their needs for support, professional education and public outreach. We know that nurses and physicians are trusted sources of information, and by putting knowledge in the hands of those who care for people most effected by climate change, we can empower individuals, save lives, prevent illness and strengthen communities.” 

Kirchhoff’s project will assess progress and improve climate change mainstreaming efforts in California’s water management agencies, while generating transferable knowledge for other U.S. states and advancing fundamental understanding of climate mainstreaming. 

“Climate action requires a whole-of-government approach,” Kirchhoff said. “But, according to a Deloitte survey, few state, or local, agencies have a systematic governance approach to advance climate adaptation. We are working with one of those state agencies and have a chance to learn from and improve their efforts and help other states and local governments learn from them, too.” 

Kreye’s project looks to advance the development of high-integrity, socially responsible forest carbon offset projects on non-industrial forest lands in Pennsylvania, Colombia, Brazil and Argentina. By collaborating with local stakeholders, the team will co-design new standards for reducing carbon emissions and develop strategies to involve communities effectively. 

“One way that private forests can help meet climate change mitigation goals is through the provision of nature-based carbon offsets,” Kreye said. “By implementing an integrated research and extension approach with international partnerships, we will be able to develop clear guidelines for improving rules and methods for carbon offset projects and the education and engagement needed to create fairer and more sustainable projects with longer-lasting climate benefits.” 

Noroña’s project aims to co-create an environmental monitoring network in Ecuador's Yasuní National Park, partnering Indigenous communities with an interdisciplinary team to address oil extractive threats, protect biodiversity and develop sustainable solutions. The environmental monitoring system will be replicated in other sensitive ecosystems across the Ecuadorian Amazon. 

“Indigenous participation in an environmental monitoring system will enable forest residents to make informed decisions related to environmental compensations and addressing ecological damages in conversation with the oil industry,” Noroña said. “Moreover, given the remote location of off-the-grid operations, environmental monitoring strengthens Indigenous territorial governance. This is key for conservation in the Amazon region because Indigenous people who rely on forest resources are not only the most affected by oil extraction, but it is also the most immediate line of defense the world has when conserving primary and secondary rainforests.”