October 18 – PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – The United States Global Change Research Program has selected a Prairie View A&M University College of Agriculture and Human Sciences faculty member as an author for the Southern Great Plains chapter of the Fifth National Climate Assessment.
Ali Fares, Ph.D.
Endowed Professor of Water Security and Water Energy Food Nexus Ali Fares, Ph.D., will serve as an author on the premier U.S. report on climate change impacts, risks, and adaptation across the country. With a team of other climate change experts, Fares will assess the needs of the Southern Great Plains and provide a comprehensive analysis that marks the greatest threats to climate in the area.
“It is a lifetime opportunity to contribute to such an important project to advise Congress, the nation, and the world on an essential issue shaping our lives,” Fares said. “I am excited about the knowledge I will gain through the discussions I will be having with my colleagues as part of this contribution.”
Fares’ team will write the chapter on the Southern Great Plains, which includes Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The chapter, which will be one of thirty-one, will summarize the most critical topics that impact the area such as the consequential weather and its impact on people and the economy. They will develop the chapter content and edit it in response to comments received during the multiple rounds of review.
NCA5 is a congressionally-mandated interagency effort that unites experts from the federal, state, and local levels, and academic non-profit, and private sectors. The nationwide effort has focused on water, energy, and agriculture in the past, and this year will add new chapters on mitigation and adaptation needs.
These assessments will allow city and state officials to prepare for severe weather impacts that cause cascading effects on human health and economic well-being.
“I hope to develop a product that will have useful information for Congress and the executive branch of the U.S. and globally,” Fares said. “I also want to show that PVAMU has talented faculty whose expertise is being used to help Texas and the nation address significant challenges.”
Fares and his team attended orientation last month and are currently writing the chapter. He hopes the assessment will lead to more investments, interagency collaborations, and innovation to solve climate-induced challenges.
Pascale Mondesir
Communication Specialist II
pamondesir@pvamu.edu
(936) 261-5155