Abt Associates conducted a two-year research project with contributions from a committee of climate adaptation professionals and funding from The Kresge Foundation to help solve complex challenges associated with climate change in 17 communities.
WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE A LOOK:
The research includes an evaluation of climate adaptation actions in U.S. communities. These models and lessons provide a guide to help create plans for communities at risk, overcome barriers to action, identify opportunities, and to begin implementing adaptation measures.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Four Key Questions:
1. What motivates communities to take adaptive action?
FINDINGS: Experiencing extreme climate events commonly accelerated adaptation efforts.
2. What are communities doing to adapt?
FINDINGS: Communities are taking action to reduce exposure to extreme weather events, more often their work is aimed at reducing sensitivity and building adaptive capacity.
3. How are communities implementing adaptation actions?
FINDINGS: Communities implement adaptation actions by deploying conventional policy tools to existing adaptation plans.
4. What are communities achieving through adaptation?
FINDINGS: Communities are reducing their vulnerability to future climate impacts. Adaptation actions frequently go hand-in-hand with progress on other community priorities.
Conclusion
After researching the unique actions taken by these 17 communities, the report finds that communities have many of the tools needed to plan for and respond to climate change, now it’s time to get started.
