Because rural communities' economic viability is dependent on its surroundings, experts predict that the ramifications of climate change will impact rural communities to a greater degree than urban populations.

To help rural leaders understand the complexities of climate change, the Ecosystem Workforce Program (EWP) at UO has a new resource available. In collaboration with Good Company and the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition, the EWP created a guide to help rural community leaders consider potential climate change policies and evaluate how to advocate for sustainability efforts in their communities. The EWP is part of the Institute for a Sustainable Environment at UO.

The guide, available at http://ewp.uoregon.edu/policy/climate/, explains the nuts and bolts of policy proposals such as the carbon emissions cap-and-trade system, carbon offsets and the expansion of "green-collar" jobs. The document also guides community members through questions to consider for each policy in order to address how it may affect their community.

In addition, the guide includes information about regional and state-level climate change regulatory efforts and protocols, and power maps to help leaders understand the federal and congressional decision-making process.
The EWP, American Forests, and Sustainable Northwest have also created the Climate Digest blog, designed to help rural community members stay on top of the latest research, resources and news.

Development of these resources was made possible by a grant from the Compton Foundation. For more information, contact Cassandra Moseley at cmoseley@uoregon.edu.