AWE+ an Adaptable World Environment
For over six decades, DRI has tirelessly tackled scientific challenges related to global climate. DRI is unwavering in its commitment to continue this intensive research. But fortifying communities against future devastation requires more than science. It demands the collective resolve of community representatives such as researchers and scientists, emergency and wildfire management professionals, elected officials and other government policymakers and agency staff, industry leaders including utility and insurance specialists, environmentalists, and residents – all working together on measures to advance resilience and adaptability. This is where AWE+ comes into play.
Save the Date: AWE+2025 Collaborative
Wildfire & Beyond – Building an Adaptable and Resilient World
October 16, 2025
8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
DRI Reno Campus – Stout Conference Center
AWE+ is a DRI global initiative formed in 2024. Reflecting the four classical elements of nature – air, water, earth, and fire – AWE+ advances community resilience and adaptability in the face of increasing, inevitable catastrophes that affect human lives and environmental ecosystems. It addresses tough challenges by promoting actionable solutions through interdisciplinary collaboration.
The AWE+2025 Collaborative will be both a reflective and transitional exercise. It will carry forward and reinforce the objectives of last year’s AWE+2024 summit where DRI brought together stakeholders of various disciplinary backgrounds to consider matters of resilience and recovery in light of the devastating impacts of wildfire. AWE+2025 will build on the 2024 conversations and examine in greater depth the cascading impacts of wildfire and smoke such as heatwaves, flooding, and droughts. Its goal is to:
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- Highlight and prompt the continuing and urgent need for community, regional, and state leadership in taking action to strengthen our communities to mitigate inevitable catastrophes that are compounded by changes in climate, land use, and population.
- Promote interdisciplinary, cross-sector collaboration as essential in strengthening the resolve for tough decision making on consequential impacts and challenges to achieve meaningful progress.
We invite 2024 participants to continue the conversation and welcome persons new to the AWE+ experience to join right in.
