Adapting to Climate Change

Material Information

Title:
Adapting to Climate Change A Call for Federal Leadership
Creator:
Smith, Joel B.
Vogel, Jason M.
Cruce, Terri L.
Seidel, Stephen
Holsinger, Heather A.
Place of Publication:
Arlington, VA
Publisher:
Pew Center on Global Climate Change
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Notes

Scope and Content:
While policy-makers have primarily focused on reducing future emissions of greenhouse gases, there is growing recognition that significant climate change is unavoidable. Although climate mitigation remains critical, we also need to be thinking about and planning for ways to minimize the economic costs and limit the adverse impacts from unavoidable changes in our climate. By taking steps now to adapt to climate change, we will be far better able to limit future damages and their associated costs. This report highlights the important role of the federal government in reducing the vulnerability and strengthening the resiliency of our economy and natural resources in the face of these changes. In addition to managing a significant amount of land and infrastructure that will be affected by climate change, the federal government is uniquely positioned to provide the necessary leadership, guidance, information, and resources. While many efforts to adapt to climate change will occur at the state and local level, the federal government is a critical player in an effective and coordinated approach to climate change adaptation in the United States. Drawing on the expertise of local, state, federal, and international leaders in this area, the authors provide concrete proposals for “mainstreaming” climate change adaptation within and across the federal government. They recommend three key components to create a new national adaptation program in the United States: •• A Strategic Planning Initiative to provide the overarching goals, objectives, and priorities for the program. Beginning with initial guidance and direction for the program, this initiative would include the development of federal agency adaptation plans, and work to integrate both sector and state level planning processes into a national climate change adaptation strategy. •• A National Climate Service to provide stakeholders with much needed information on climate change impacts and adaptation options. All levels of government, the private sector, and other stakeholders need information on climate change impacts on a time and geographic scale useful to them, as well as decision tools to aid in analyzing adaptation options. •• An Adaptation Research Program to ensure that appropriate emphasis is placed on adaptation research as part of the larger federal climate research effort. Research related to climate change adaptation is needed to support techniques for developing climate information at a scale useful for decision making and innovations in addressing the various factors that affect adoption and implementation of adaptations. Adaptation is not an option but a necessity if we are to minimize the economic costs of climate change impacts, protect human health and welfare, and limit harm to infrastructure, ecosystems, and biodiversity. Although coordinated actions will be needed at all levels of government and the private sector, this report focuses on what the federal government could do to lead the way. The Pew Center and the authors would like to thank the many individuals that contributed their time and expertise in the development of this report (See Appendix A for a list of contributors). The authors would like to thank Peter Schultz and Josh Foster for comments and suggestions on earlier drafts. Special thanks to Cristina Rumbaitis del Rio of the Rockefeller Foundation for her guidance and support. The views expressed here are solely those of the authors. ( English )

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Source Institution:
Florida International University
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Aggregations:
Sea Level Rise