32 Climate Change and Extreme Heat in the Rocky Mountain Southwest: Impacts, Adaptation, and Geoscience Perspectives

This session explores climate change and extreme heat in the Rocky Mountain Southwest, emphasizing geoscience research, education, and community-based adaptation strategies. We welcome scientists, policy experts, educators, and planners addressing regional climate resilience.

Tuesday, 19 May 2026
1:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Alvarado F

Tapping into Community Connections for a Future of COOLER CLImates

Paper number: 32-2
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 1:55 PM – 2:15 PM

Authors

Abstract

Climate change will impact every aspect of our lives in the coming decades, compelling scientists and academics to engage beyond traditional disciplinary and institutional boundaries. Climate resilience emerges through sustained collaboration among scientists, educators, civic leaders, artists, and community organizations. Preparing students to participate effectively in this work calls for intentional structures that foster trust, shared language, and actionable outcomes. NSF-funded COOLER (Community Collaboration and Learning for Climate Resilience) connects university students and faculty with community partners in Northern Colorado to design and implement projects that strengthen local resilience to climate change. COOLER’s Climate Leadership Initiative (“COOLER CLImates”) was a nine-month long (2024-2025) pilot program designed to (1) build faculty expertise in climate change across disciplines, (2) prepare students to serve as community leaders in resilience efforts, and (3) empower community partners to take informed action around climate-related challenges. 

The pilot cohort brought together 10 students, 10 faculty, and 10 community partners in three parallel cohorts. Participants formed 10 cross-cohort project teams that addressed local resilience needs. Projects included a community workshop on the health impacts of air quality, development of middle-school curricula focused on sustainable practices and waste reduction, establishment of an art supply reuse initiative, and a public education campaign addressing single-use plastics. Participant feedback highlighted the value of structured, facilitated dialogue with people from different perspectives.  Students reported increased confidence translating climate risks into community-relevant action. Faculty gained experience integrating climate topics into diverse disciplinary contexts. Community partners appreciated having the opportunity to establish new connections within the university and reported stronger understanding of how climate change impacts their work. 

The pilot also surfaced practical lessons for the COOLER Leader Team. Namely, that collaboration requires intentional facilitation; alignment of expectations early on yields stronger collaborations; and differing community timelines and academic calendars can pose challenges. We share these lessons and offer a framework for integrating community-engaged, resilience-focused collaboration in climate education and outreach. Models like  COOLER CLImates can help position academics as active participants in building climate resilient communities.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 4

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026RM-410625

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