Dr. Christopher Schwalm sees the impacts of climate change in his daily life and envisions a world in which all decisions are made with climate risk in mind. He leads Woodwell Climate’s Risk Program, which assesses climate risk to human and natural systems, and is an internationally-recognized global change ecologist and Earth system modeler. His research focuses on climate extremes, with an emphasis on drought impacts, as well as understanding how carbon, water, and plant nutrients cycle through land ecosystems.
Dr. Schwalm is the Program Director of Woodwell’s Risk program—a group of 15 scientists who work with multiple partners, from local communities to leading financial service firms. He leads Woodwell Climate’s work connecting climate risk to capital markets, including our long-standing partnership with Wellington Management. He also directs Woodwell’s outreach initiative to provide under-resourced communities globally with localized climate risk assessments. Finally, Dr. Schwalm leads the Center’s emergent work in climate security, the intersection between climate risk and national security.
His research has been published in leading scientific journals and has been featured by the New York Times, CBS News, and the Toronto Star, as well as S&P Global and The Diplomat.
Dr. Schwalm splits his time between Knoxville, TN, London, and Berlin. He is an avid hiker who enjoys the dramatic beauty of the Alps and the Grand Canyon.