Skip to main
Lichen
George Mason University
News

IN THE MEDIA: Virginia Creates State Climate Office at George Mason University's College of Science

George Mason University’s College of Science will be home to Virginia’s new State Climate Office, expanding the university’s role in providing climate data, research, and expertise to communities across the Commonwealth.

The office, established through the new state budget, will be housed within the Virginia Climate Center in the College of Science. Its creation comes as Virginia faces growing climate-related challenges, including extreme heat, drought, flooding, and sea-level rise.

“The fact that we are having this enormous heat wave kind of begs for having a state climate office,” said James Kinter, director of the Virginia Climate Center and George Mason's Center for Ocean-Land Atmosphere Studies.

This week, Virginia Climate Center researchers and volunteers tested sensors and routes ahead of a heat data collection campaign taking place across parts of Northern Virginia this summer. Luis Ortiz, assistant professor of atmospheric, oceanic, and earth sciences in the College of Science, said the research can help local governments make decisions about tree planting, heat mitigation, and public health planning.

“It’s all about adding to the base of knowledge that is there to help policymakers make these decisions,” Ortiz said.

The State Climate Office designation will allow the Virginia Climate Center to expand climate research and services statewide, helping communities better understand risk, close gaps in weather and climate data, and prepare for long-term climate impacts.

View recent coverage by Michael Martz in the Richmond Times Dispatch.

* The programs and services offered by George Mason University are open to all who seek them. George Mason does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic national origin (including shared ancestry and/or ethnic characteristics), sex, disability, military status (including veteran status), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, pregnancy status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. After an initial review of its policies and practices, the university affirms its commitment to meet all federal mandates as articulated in federal law, as well as recent executive orders and federal agency directives.