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Current Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives
Carole McCauley, Massachusetts Bays Program
Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Workshop
Peabody Institute Library, Danvers
March 12, 2009
What’s the problem? Sea level rise is just one projected impact in
New England – there are others: Increased summer drought Increased temperatures Increased winter precipitation (rain, not snow) More frequent periods of intense weather Increased allergens and asthma, heat-related illnesses Coastal flooding Shoreline erosion
But from listening to the news, you would think we are figuring it out…
Lots of efforts focusing on mitigating against climate change
But even if we were to stop emitting GHGs today, scientists predict that some amount of change is inevitable
Bottom line: we are “locked in” to a certain amount of warming at a minimum
Source: Union of Concerned Scientists
So hadn’t we better get ready for at least theminimum predicted change?
What do we need to do?
Mitigation“avoid the
unmanageable”
Adaptation“manage the unavoidable”
Some challenging thoughts… How do we deal with all the uncertainty?
Scenario planning – best case, worst case
Use the precautionary principle
Do the best with what we have
How do we know what is the best thing to do?
Models of success do not yet exist
Network, share science and experience
What is needed Educate and communicate
People need to be at the table willingly to plan and act
Determine what the local impacts are likely to be
Assess vulnerability to the impacts Structural, natural, economic, social
Figure out what is feasible and realistic Politically, economically, socially, technologically, ecologically
Set priorities
Plan
Monitor, evaluate, and adapt
Who is doing what so far?
Federal Regional/multi-state State Academia Non-profit
Federal NOAA
Coastal Services Center (including national roll-out of Storm Smart Coasts)
Centre for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research Office of Ocean and Coastal resource Management Sea Grant Climate Program Office National Climactic Data Center National Coastal Data Development Center Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Federal (cont.) EPA
Office of Water (including Climate Ready Estuaries) Office of Research and Development Office of Air and Radiation Region 1
USGS Waste Science Centers Costal and Marine Geology Program Science Center for Coastal and Marine Geology, Woods
Hole
Federal (cont.) FEMA (National Flood Insurance Program) USDOT, USACE, HUD, NSF, NASA Joint efforts
US Climate Change Science Program US Global Change Research Program Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and
Technology
Regional/multi-state New England Environmental Finance Center
Gulf of Maine Council Climate Change Network
Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System
Gulf of Maine Research Institute
New England Governors/Eastern Canadian Premiers
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission
USFWS
State Office of Coastal Zone Management
Coastal Hazards Commission Storm Smart Coasts
Department of Environmental Protection Emissions reductions, smart growth, renewable energy
Department of Fish & Game State Wildlife Action Plan
Task Force – planned by EOEEA Coalition – coordinated Bentley forum and beyond
Academia Too many to list here, but there are dozens
of studies, projects, institutes working on climate issues at all of the region’s universities
Non-Profit Union of Concerned Scientists International Council for Local Environmental
Initiatives (ICLEI) Coastal States Organization Association of State Wetland Managers Adaptation Network The Nature Conservancy National Wildlife Federation And many more…
What is the Mass Bays Program doing? Climate Ready Estuaries
Salt marsh vulnerability assessment
Integration of climate change into strategic plan
Communicate and educate
Network and collaborate
Develop Climate Advisory Group to set priorities
Update Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan
Ultimately provide assistance to communities in adaptation planning and implementation
Thanks for coming!
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