AAAS Leshner Leadership Fellow Ben Preston started his fellowship year as the Deputy Director of the Climate Change Science Institute at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and he’s ending it as the Director of the Infrastructure Resilience and Environmental Policy Program at the RAND Corporation. Preston studies how adaptation efforts can reduce risk from climate change, especially at the state and city level (such as impacts to critical energy, water and transportation systems). At RAND, he’ll focus particularly on policy-relevant research. He notes that RAND also has a convening function that encourages dialogue and outreach to a wide spectrum of decision-makers, ranging from local to international agencies, organizations, and businesses.

Both regions will likely experience droughts worse than any in the last millennium, and it may be difficult for humans to adapt to the change.