Journal
MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES FOR GLOBAL CHANGE
Volume 18, Issue 3, Pages 361-406Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s11027-012-9423-1
Keywords
Adaptation process; Barriers; Climate change; Mainstreaming; Multiple stressors; Stakeholder participation; Successes; Case studies
Categories
Funding
- Division Of Environmental Biology
- Direct For Biological Sciences [1026415] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Office of Polar Programs (OPP)
- Directorate For Geosciences [1136347] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
We reviewed existing and planned adaptation activities of federal, tribal, state, and local governments and the private sector in the United States (U.S.) to understand what types of adaptation activities are underway across different sectors and scales throughout the country. Primary sources of review included material officially submitted for consideration in the upcoming 2013 U.S. National Climate Assessment and supplemental peer-reviewed and grey literature. Although substantial adaptation planning is occurring in various sectors, levels of government, and the private sector, few measures have been implemented and even fewer have been evaluated. Most adaptation actions to date appear to be incremental changes, not the transformational changes that may be needed in certain cases to adapt to significant changes in climate. While there appear to be no one-size-fits-all adaptations, there are similarities in approaches across scales and sectors, including mainstreaming climate considerations into existing policies and plans, and pursuing no- and low-regrets strategies. Despite the positive momentum in recent years, barriers to implementation still impede action in all sectors and across scales. The most significant barriers include lack of funding, policy and institutional constraints, and difficulty in anticipating climate change given the current state of information on change. However, the practice of adaptation can advance through learning by doing, stakeholder engagements (including listening sessions), and sharing of best practices. Efforts to advance adaptation across the U.S. and globally will necessitate the reduction or elimination of barriers, the enhancement of information and best practice sharing mechanisms, and the creation of comprehensive adaptation evaluation metrics.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available