Julie Brigham-Grette Named to Arctic Council Climate Expert Group

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Julie Brigham-Grette, professor of Earth, geographic and climate sciences in the College of Natural Sciences (CNS), has been chosen to serve as the next U.S. co-lead of the Climate Expert Group for the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP). As selected by the U.S. Global Change Office, Brigham-Grette will join established leaders from Norway and Sweden to co-lead the program, which is directed by the Arctic Council.

Brigham-Grette currently serves as the Arctic Hub co-lead for the UMass-based Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science (CBIKS).

“One of the important roles of the Climate Expert Group is to help guide the integration of timely, policy-relevant science summaries to communicate the urgency of climate action,” explained Brigham-Grette. “What happens in the polar regions impacts the global community, especially if you think about sea level, and climate impacts on agriculture and human migration issues around the globe. It’s also important to increase the voices of indigenous Arctic inhabitants in this effort.”

The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum that promotes cooperation and interaction among Arctic states, Indigenous Peoples and other Arctic inhabitants. The Council was established in 1996 by the governments of eight Arctic states: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the U.S. The Council's work focuses on common Arctic issues, such as sustainable development, environmental protection, climate change, emergency response and mental health.

More information about the Climate Expert Group and Brigham-Grette’s role in helping steer the group’s work in the future can be found on the CNS website.