Center for Health Informatics Examining Environmental Impacts on Health Speaker Series: Brian Deal
Brian Deal will present, "A Climate Plan for Illinois Natural and Working Lands Plus: geospatial analysis and modeling."
Dr. Brian Deal is a professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Illinois and Director of the Land use Evolution and impact Assessment Modeling (LEAM) laboratory. Dr. Deal is active in a large number of national and international research initiatives on smart, sustainable places and climate change His scholarship focuses on spatial geoanalytics and dynamic systems modeling.
Abstract:
This presentation outlines a state-wide approach to leveraging natural and working lands for climate change mitigation in Illinois. The plan aims to establish the current and potential contribution of natural and working lands toward meeting Illinois’ climate commitments under the USCA and Paris Climate Agreement. The initiative features high-resolution (30×30 meter) GHG emissions and ecosystem services inventory with a primary focus on carbon sequestration and biodiversity. The work highlights how the Illinois landscape has lost significant carbon sequestration capacity since the 1800s, with current sequestration at approximately 22 million metric tons compared to 43 million historically. Through stakeholder engagement across multiple sectors and detailed scenario modeling, the plan will establish potential pathways toward net-zero land based emissions. The “Plus” component advances Illinois’ 30×30 Task Force goals by establishing a comprehensive science-based framework for land management and conservation.
About the speaker series:
This speaker series brings together researchers on campus whose work touches on environmental impacts (e.g., air quality, water quality, weather patterns) on health, to share their current research and to foster discussion and collaboration.
We meet most Tuesdays, noon-1 pm US Central Time, on Zoom. This series is hosted by the iSchool’s Center for Health Informatics (CHI), in partnership with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the University of Illinois’ Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI).
This event is sponsored by Center for Health Informatics