We currently live and work from day to day assuming that the climate will remain within a certain set of experienced conditions. However, in a climate changing world, this is no longer true. Over time, extreme events and increasing warm temperatures continue to bring changes to our communities. These can include more expensive and less available water and higher energy costs because of a loss of snowpackLinks to an external site. and hydropower loss during droughts. Assume the following scenario after your plan was put in place, that drought years have also been hot years, and the increased use of air conditioning is leading to brown-outs. Sea level rise also continues to affect people living near Puget Sound lakes and shorelines, something that seemed less urgent only a few years ago. In our scenario, shoreline properties are increasingly at risk and those remaining have lost 10% of their property value. Those with the means are looking to move into locations less prone to shoreline erosion. There are also various propsals examining the construction of seawallsLinks to an external site., and alternatively, living shorelinesLinks to an external site.. Others in nearby counties have been discplaced by wildfiresLinks to an external site., and those displaced include thousands of children, who have come with their families to your community looking for temporary shelter. Because climate change is a poverty multiplier, those with fewer resources continue to be the most vulnerable, but also continue to provide essential work and services.
In this assignment you will revisit and assess the ways that planning for your community and thinking about community vulnerabilities led to your work to raise awareness and propose adaptation actions. This assignment will require that you read, consult and refer to newly released information in the 2023 National Climate Assessment chapterLinks to an external site. 31 about the key messages and actions that are required for effective climate change adaptation.
How to proceed:
Continue to utilize the adaptation strategies and the steps needed for an adaptation plan that you learned about from your reading assignment on adaptation from the National Climate Assessment. As this document spells out, climate change adaptation is an iterative process, and plans must be revised and revisited based on what is learned about climate change and its effects on communities. You will now reassess your plan based the introductory scenario above.
(12 pts) Read the key take away messages from chapter 31. Links to an external site. Compare what you learned in the early stages of your community adaptation planning exercises and think about what aspects of these key points compare to your assessment. Which of the key messages from chapter 31 should be a high priority for adaptation policy where you live? (Pick the top 3, and put them in order of importance) Describe each of the key messages importance in relation to adaptation in your community in 2- 3 sentences each.
(8 pts) Describe the differences between adaptation through incremental actions such as examples from AAASLinks to an external site., and transformative climate adaptation, discussed in chapter 31Links to an external site. but more clearly explained by the UNFCCC description of transformative approaches needed for coastal cities hereLinks to an external site..
(10 pts) Think creatively about the actions that were taken given your proposed adaptation plan for your community, within the neighborhood conditions you described in your last assignment. Remember that this plan is to help the entire community to come together and adapt as best as possible, in an inclusive, transparent and deliberative process. What aspects of your plan would you revise?