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!