With the support of GCSC staff, the Land-Atmosphere Interactions Research Group (LAIR) hosted the second CO2-Urban Synthesis and Analysis workshop in SLC on Oct 24-25. The workshop brought together close to 100 leading researchers and stakeholders from around the nation working on understanding and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from cities.

The University of Utah has long been a leader on urban greenhouse gas research, having established the world’s longest-running urban CO2 measurement work (https://air.utah.edu/). The workshop was a unique opportunity start a dialogue between the research community and policymakers who are involved on urban sustainability measures. The keynote speaker was Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski, who has been an active voice on climate change issues and currently serves as the Chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Alliance for a Sustainable Future.  Another highlight of the workshop was a panel that included representatives from the sustainability offices of Denver, Park City, Salt Lake City, and the Bay Area.

The workshop enabled an exchange of ideas between two communities (research and stakeholder) that do not commonly intersect.  It was also an opportunity for the U to showcase Salt Lake City and Utah using the world-class venues on campus, the Tower at Rice-Eccles Stadium and the Utah Museum of Natural History.  Numerous attendees were in Salt Lake City for the first time, and many remarked on the natural beauty of the surroundings.  A field trip up Little Cottonwood Canyon further cemented the attendees’ appreciation of Utah. Professor John Lin remarked that the planning and logistical support from the GCSC was absolutely critical to the success of the CO2-USA workshop.