University of Wisconsin-Madison & Division of Extension Climate Change Initiatives
Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI): this is the coordination hub for efforts on campus (mostly scientists, some practitioners). WICCI has working groups on various areas that are impacted by climate change; , you’ll find tabs for all the working groups. WICCI recently released a report specific to Wisconsin: “2021 Assessment Report: Wisconsin’s Changing Climate”
State Climatology Office: This office is affiliated with the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. The office provides climate information to residents, scientists, and government agencies and conducts graphical data analyses to show climate change and variability.
Wisconsin Climate Connection is the website for UW-Madison Division of Extension’s climate change initiatives. Included in this site is the Community Climate Resilience Menu, a tool to assist communities to become more resilient to the impacts and shocks from climate change.
Energy on Wisconsin: Provides resources, tools, financing, trainings to promote the transition to a clean energy economy.
Dane County Climate Change Resources & Organizations
There are many organizations in Dane County addressing climate change, through education, action, and advocacy. Here are a few of them:
Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change: Dane County has been a leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through initiatives including expanding solar capacity, building a renewable fuel fleet, incorporating energy efficiency in County facilities, expanding green infrastructure, developing biogas facilities, recognizing climate champions, building collaborations of municipalities, and partnering with local businesses, agriculture, and municipalities to reach the carbon-free goal by 2050. Learn about the Dane County Climate Action Plan HERE.
Sustain Dane: Sustain Dane Works with teams (from businesses, organizations, neighborhoods) to accelerate climate action. This organization sponsors educational and networking sessions and helps individuals share their stories about taking action for climate impact. Sustain Dane is a critical partner in many sustainability efforts througout Madison and Dane County.
350 Wisconsin: 350 Wisconsin works to mobilize grassroots power to change hearts and minds, laws and policies, and humanity’s massive systems to make transformational progress toward environmental justice and solving the climate crisis by 2040. Teams and campaigns are spearheaded by members and include: the Tar Sands Group (working to stop new oil pipelines, particularly tar sands Lines 3 & 5); the Community Climate Solutions team (working at the government level to set climate goals); the Climate Justice team (addressing the intersection between climate change and racial and social justice); the Divest & Defund Team (working to invest in the good and get money out of the fossil fuel industry), and the Art Collective, which brings awareness of these issues through creative and artistic means.
Wisconsin Conservation Voters: Big action often comes down to policy, and policy depends on active citizens who vote, advocate, and educate. Wisconsin Conservation voters promote climate action and lean energy at the government level.