Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Washington state climatologist will soon run a unique climate change institute in Oregon.

Philip Mote says he may actually be the state climatologist for both Oregon and Washington for a short time, depending on how lawmakers in Olympia react to his new job.

But Mote will be in Oregon full-time next spring, where his main responsibility will be directing the new Oregon Climate Change Research Institute.

Mote says he’s starting with two goals.

Philip Mote: "The main things I’ll focus on are beginning to knit together relationships among researchers at the various universities. They’re in many different departments at the universities, and many of them don’t even know each other. Job two is coming up with the high-priority list of questions that the research teams will tackle, and putting together the groups of people to do it.”

Mote says he intends to provide scientific guidance, rather than advocacy for specific policies.

Mote was selected in a national search to run the institute.  He was one of the co-authors of the 2007 International Panel on Climate Change report, which won a Nobel prize.