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- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI15050311/00001
Notes
- Abstract:
- Our climate is changing, and these changes are already impacting the nation’s valuable natural resources
and the people, communities, and economies that depend on them (see Chapters 1 and 2). The observed
changes in climate, in turn, have been directly correlated to the increasing levels of carbon dioxide (CO2)
and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, which have set in motion a series of changes in
the planet’s climate system. Far greater changes are already inevitable because CO2 stays in the
atmosphere for a long time. Even if further GHG emissions were halted today, alterations already
underway in the Earth’s climate will last for hundreds or thousands of years. If GHG emissions continue,
as is more likely, the planet’s temperature is projected to rise by 2.0 to 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit by the end
of the century, with accompanying major changes in extreme weather events, sea level rise, and
acidification of our oceans. The pace and scale of these kinds of changes are expected to have major
impacts on our natural resources and the communities and economies that depend on them.The problem, therefore, is serious and urgent. The nation must prepare for and adapt to a changing
climate to safeguard our valuable living resources for current and future generations. This National Fish,
Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy (hereafter Strategy) is a call to action–a framework for
effective steps that can be taken, or at least initiated, over the next five to ten years in the context of the
changes to our climate that are currently projected by the end of the century. It is designed to be a key part
of the nation’s larger response to a changing climate, and to guide responsible actions by natural resource
managers and other decision makers at all levels of government. The Strategy was produced by federal,
state, and tribal representatives and has been coordinated with a variety of other climate change
adaptation efforts at national, state, and tribal levels. The overarching goal of the Strategy is a simple one: to inspire, enable, and increase meaningful action.
Admittedly, the task ahead is a daunting one, especially if the world fails to make serious efforts to reduce
emissions of GHGs. But we can make a difference. To do that we must begin now to prepare for a future
unlike the recent past.
Because the development of this adaptation Strategy will only be worthwhile if it leads to meaningful
action, it is directly aimed at several key groups: natural resource management agency leaders and staff
(federal, state, and tribal); elected officials in both executive and legislative government branches
(federal, state, local, and tribal); leaders in industries that depend on and can impact natural resources,
such as agriculture, forestry, and recreation; and private landowners, whose role is crucial because they
own more than 70 percent of the land in the United States. The Strategy should also be useful for decision
makers in sectors that affect natural resources (such as energy, housing and urban development,
transportation, and water systems), for conservation partners, for educators, and for the interested public,
whose input and decisions will have major impacts on safeguarding the nation’s living resources in the face of climate change. The Strategy also should be useful to those in other countries dealing with these
same issues and those dealing with the international dimensions of climate adaptation.
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Florida International University
- Rights Management:
- Please contact the owning institution for licensing and permissions. It is the user's responsibility to ensure use does not violate any third party rights.
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