A Win for the Environment and the Southwest Economy
ASU-led, NSF-funded initiative will power regional climate solutions that offer economic opportunities
The U.S. National Science Foundation announced today that Arizona State University will lead a multi-institutional enterprise to confront the climate challenges facing the desert Southwest and spur economic development in the region.
The effects of climate change are acutely evident in the American Southwest, from the desertification of Utah’s Great Salt Lake to record-breaking extreme heat in Arizona and a dwindling supply of Colorado River water reaching Nevada.
NSF Engines: Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine will use these challenges to catalyze economic opportunity and seeks to establish the Southwest as a leader in carbon capture, water security and renewable energy and bring high-wage industries to the region. Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine unites academic, community, nonprofit and industry partners across Arizona, Nevada and Utah that are committed to this goal.
“Our rapidly developing global challenges, if unabated, will result in a planetary emergency. They require immediate action, and the NSF Regional Innovation Engines award offers a new, transformative avenue to apply our holistic sustainability innovation approach to the Southwestern United States to keep this region on a path of economic growth,” said Peter Schlosser, vice president and vice provost of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at ASU and principal investigator of this project.
“The Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine combines the extensive expertise of ASU and all our partners to simultaneously ensure a sustainable future and prosperity for our region.”
Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine, or SWSIE, is among the first proposals selected by the NSF to establish a Regional Innovation Engine, a first-of-its-kind NSF program to create focused research and technology transfer hubs.
The NSF will fund SWSIE’s initial development and growth with $15 million over the next two years. The engine can be renewed for up to 10 years with $160 million in funding available for each regional engine.