UNG professor named to Georgia Climate Project committee

Every year, businesses ranging from agriculture to recreation succeed or fail based on the weather. For example, farmers need rain for crops to grow.

Jamie Mitchem, professor of geography/GIS in the Institute for Environmental and Spatial Analysis (IESA) at the University of North Georgia (UNG), along with other academics, businessmen and women, and professionals want to help farmers and others be aware of and prepare for climate change.

The Georgia Climate Project is tasked to do that. Founded by Emory University, Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia, the project's multi-year effort is to improve understanding of climate impacts and solutions in Georgia and lay the groundwork for the state and its residents to take effective, science-based climate action.

"The overall goal is to prepare Georgia to raise awareness on the issue of climate change and have ideas, policies and plans in place when they are needed to address arising situations," Mitchem said.

He recently has been named to the Georgia Climate Stories steering committee. Its task is to guide the production of video stories from farmers and others whose livelihood is affected by the climate.

"The video could be of someone on the coast talking about the erosion of land on an island," Mitchem said. "Or it could be the owner of a vineyard in North Georgia talking about the temperature affecting crops."