Adapting to a Changing Climate: Adapting to a Changing Climate: Challenges & OpportunitiesChallenges & Opportunities

Adapting to a Changing Climate: Adapting to a Changing Climate: Challenges & OpportunitiesChallenges & Opportunities

Glen Gerberg Weather and Climate Summit

January 12, 2012Breckenridge, CO

Eileen L. SheaChief, Climate Services &Monitoring Div., NOAA/NCDC

Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force

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• Mitigation and adaptation are both essential parts of a climate change response strategy.

• No matter how aggressively heat-trapping emissions are reduced, the world will continue to experience some continued climate change and resulting impacts.

• Prudent risk management demands advanced planning

Adaptation as Response Option

Climate Changenot the only challengeto be juggled (Dr. Lynne Carter)

We can anticipate, plan, act … be proactive

or we can remain reactive.Some photos: courtesy Joel Scheraga, EPA

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So, What is Adaptation?• Measures to improve our ability to cope with

or avoid harmful impacts and take advantage of beneficial ones, now and in the future (Global Climate Change Impacts in the U.S., 2009)

• Preparing for the impacts of projected local and regional impacts before they occur” (America’s Climate Choices, 2011)

• Iterative risk management…by increasing the Nation’s resilience to both gradual changes and the possibility of abrupt disaster events”(America’s Climate Choices, 2011)

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Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force

What Is Adaptation?

• Responsible risk management

• Actions that reduce vulnerability & enhance preparedness for climate & extreme weather-related impacts

• Common-sense planning to protect our health, safety & prosperity

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Deer Island Sewage TreatmentPlant, Boston

Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force

Federal Action to Build Climate Resilience

•Core Federal Policy Goals for Climate Change Adaptation ▫Build resilience to climate change in communities.▫Make science more accessible to communities

and decision-makers.▫Integrate climate risk management into Federal

agency planning.▫Develop strategies to safeguard natural

resources.▫Enhance efforts to lead and support international

climate adaptation

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• Protect: build hard structures-levees and dikes

• Accommodate: elevate roads, buildings, and facilities; improve flood control structure design; enhance wetlands (Deer Island)

• Retreat: accommodate inland

movement through planned retreat

From: USGCRP, 2009

Adaptation Example: Responding to Sea-Level Rise and Storm Surge

Courtesy of Jack Pellette, NWS

9Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States 9

• Declining water resources Increase public awareness Encourage water conservation Fix water distribution systems to minimize leakage Increase freshwater storage capacity Explore alternative sources including importing water, – desalinating seawater, and using treated wastewater

• Unmanaged ecosystems Establish baselines for ecosystems and their services Identify thresholds Monitor for continued change Restore ecosystems that have been adversely affected Identify refuge areas that might be unaffected by climate

change and can be preserved Relocate species to areas where favorable conditions are expected to exist in the future

Adaptation Examples

©iStockphotos.com/Stephen Muskie

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In the islands, “water is gold.”

Effective adaptation to climate-related changes in the availability of freshwater is thus a high priority and can

help reduce damage even if island communities cannot completely counter climate-related threats to water supplies.

 

Adaptation: Securing Water Resources

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Communities, Businesses and Governments All Have:

• Much to lose from adverse climate impacts

• Much to gain from opportunities • Limited resources and tight

budgets• Relevant authorities and

planning structures • Opportunity to learn from and

work with others

Some Lessons Being Learned

• No (single) “top 10” Adaptation Actions• Adaptations are location and issue specific:

– Impacts differ from place-to-place and adaptive capacity is uneven

– Understand regional context (culture, history, demographics, economics, natural resources)

• Address today’s challenges while planning for the future:– Variability, Extremes and long-term trends

• Collaborative, public-private partnership

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Some Lessons Being Learned

• Climate in Context:Decisions rarely only because of changing

climateThink of the “Climate-Society System” (Glantz)

• Trusted information brokers are key:• Broadcast meteorologists, community leaders,

businesses, local experts, educators, NGOs, etc.• Leverage existing institutions & relationships

• Changing Climate - a moving target:Requires an iterative risk management processShared learning & joint problem-solving

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Characteristics of a Characteristics of a Resilient CommunityResilient Community

AWAREAWARE ENGAGEDENGAGED

INFORMEDINFORMED EMPOWEREDEMPOWERED

RESPONSIVERESPONSIVE PREPAREDPREPARED

ADAPTIVEADAPTIVESUSTAINABLESUSTAINABLE 14

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Some Resources at your disposal:

Eileen.Shea@noaa.gov

www.globalchange.gov

www.climate.gov

www.ncdc.noaa.gov

(www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/inventories/2012psguide_hires19MBpdf)

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