Resources:
Adaptation

What is adaptation?
Adaptation: Adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities. (IPCC, Climate Change 2007).

More simply, adaptation is taking action to minimize the impacts of actual or expected climate change. It is reducing the vulnerability of people and places to the effects of climate change. It is also embracing positive consequences of climate change.

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Tools & Guides    [Top]


Preparing for Climate Change: A Guidebook for Local, Regional, and State Governments (Climate Impacts Group, ICLEI, and King County, Washington)
Designed to help local, regional, and state governments prepare for climate change by recommending a detailed, easy-to-understand process for climate change preparedness based on familiar resources and tools. Sept 2007.
http://cses.washington.edu/cig/fpt/guidebook.shtml

Video: What Next? Planning for Climate Change (Climate Impacts Groups)
www.fsl.orst.edu/geowater/PEP/olympia/snover/


  • Guides and Tools for Climate Change Adaptation Planning (Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals)
    In recent years there has been an increased focus on planning for climate change impacts, and an ever-growing number of guidebooks and tools have been made available to assist governments and organizations in the planning process. Most of these are intended for broad audiences and are not written specifically for tribes. The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) developed this list to point tribes towards some of the guides and tools that may be of use as they get started on climate change adaptation planning. The list is not meant to be an all-inclusive list, but rather is a selection of resources that might be helpful for tribes to review early in the process. Additional resources are listed on the Tribes & Climate Change website (www4.nau.edu/tribalclimatechange/index.asp), and a search on the Internet will yield many more. September 2011.
    Guides and Tools for Climate Change Adaptation Planning

  • Tribal Climate Change Adaptation Plan Template (Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals)
    The Tribal Climate Change Adaptation Plan Template, developed by the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) as a resource for tribes as they write a climate change adaptation plans, is available by request. The template provides guidelines and suggestions for writing a plan and includes key terms and additional resources. The template is intended to be used for organizing and presenting information but is not meant to create a "one-size fits-all" plan, as each tribe will have unique needs and approaches to planning for climate change. Please contact Sue Wotkyns, ITEP's Climate Change Program Manager, to request the template, which is available as a Word document file. Include your name, tribe or organization, and your contact information when requesting the template.
    Susan.Wotkyns@nau.edu

  • Template for a Tribal Resolution: Climate Change Adaptation Initiative (ITEP)
    This resolution template was created by the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) to serve as a model on which tribes can base their own resolution for a tribal climate change initiative. The template is not a "one-size-fits-all" solution, and users are encouraged to modify the template to better represent the needs and priorities of the tribe. This guide will help users complete and personalize their own resolutions. Users are encouraged to review the example resolutions provided for further reference. The template is available by request at Susan.Wotkyns@nau.edu.

  • Promoting Generations of Self-Reliance - Stories and Examples of Tribal Adaptation to Change (US EPA)
    This collection of adaptation practices and strategies presents practical examples for tribal environmental managers and leadership to consider applying to their own unique circumstances. Although there is no strategy that can be universally applied, this guide may spark new ideas for creating effective tribal responses. Tribes can incorporate these models into their planning, programs, strategic plans and funding requests.
    Although many of the resources listed are in Alaska and the Northwest, the guide is useful to tribes in other regions. Guide was developed by EPA Region 10, 8/12/11.
    www.epa.gov/region10/pdf/tribal/stories_and_examples_of_tribal_adaptation_to_change.pdf

  • Climate Witness Community Toolkit (World Wildlife Fund)
    Toolkit is the result of a process undertaken on Kabara, Fiji, (the first Climate Witness site in the Pacific) to document local impacts of climate change and to devise appropriate adaptation measures that local communities can implement themselves. The methodologies within the toolkit are an adaptation of participatory techniques WWF-South Pacific has used over the years in community resource conservation and development projects, and should give facilitators a clear sense of process when trying to illicit information specific to impacts of climate change and developing appropriate community response measures to them.
    wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/?uNewsID=162722

  • Climate Change Planning Tools for First Nations Guidebooks (Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources)
    Guidebooks developed for Canadian First Nations, focusing on involving the community. Could be useful to other tribal communities. 2006.
    www.cier.ca/information-and-resources/publications-and-products.aspx?id=412

  • 7 Generations: Addressing Village Environmental Issues for the Future Generations of Rural Alaska
    Manual is designed for people in rural Alaska who want to accomplish environmental planning and management using a community-based approach. The manual contains valuable tools that enable a community to prioritize and identify its environmental issues and was written to assist communities to be more self-reliant and to take responsibility for their own environmental issues. Although not specifically written for climate change planning, it has some useful ideas.
    www.7generations.com/index.html

  • 7 Generations: Addressing Environmental Issues for Future Generations of Native American in New Mexico
    Adaptation of the Alaskan 7 Generations manual (see above) for use by New Mexican pueblos and tribes.
    http://nmdigital.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p267801coll5/id/939

  • Adapting to Climate Change in Coastal Alaska (Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks)
    Brings a marine-dependent community perspective to climate change adaptation issues. Website has an adaptation planning tool and a manual that guide the user through steps of the planning process. Although written for Alaska, it can be used and adapted by communities in other parts of the country. Provides fact sheets on ocean acidification, climate change and subsistence, and sea level rise and storm surge.
    http://seagrant.uaf.edu/map/climate/index.php

  • Managing the Risks of Climate Change: a Guide for Arctic and Northern Communities (Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources)
    Online interactive guide on climate change risk management, written by Summit Enterprises International based on a Canadian Standard for Risk Management for Aboriginal and northern communities north of 60. Website has downloadable guidebooks and worksheets. Could be used and adapted by communities in other regions.
    http://ccrm.cier.ca/index.php

  • Canadian Communities’ Guidebook for Adaptation to Climate Change. Including an Approach to Generate Mitigation Co-benefits in the Context of Sustainable Development (Environment Canada and University of British Columbia, Vancouver)
    This guidebook, written for Canadian communities, brings considerations of mitigation and sustainable development into the adaptation planning process. It describes a method that can be applied to existing planning processes, both at the individual project and on a strategic level. 2008.
    www.forestry.ubc.ca/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=xsexCSatHjo%3d&tabid=2455&mid=5415&language=en-US

  • Adaptation Resource Kit: Adapting to Climate Change in the Columbia Basin (Columbia Basin Trust’s Communities Adapting to Climate Change Initiative)
    Although this website has a focus on communities in the Canadian Columbia Basin, it provides useful information and resources that may help other communities plan to adapt to the potential impacts of climate change. The website includes a data base of climate change impacts and adaptation actions by theme; lessons, reports and resources from five communities that participated in climate change adaptation planning; and climate change adaptation planning approaches including a detailed six-step planning process.
    http://adaptationresourcekit.squarespace.com/

  • Center for Climate Strategies Adaptation Guidebook (Center for Climate Strategies)
    Guidebook includes a catalogue of adaptation actions, detailed review of state and local adaptation plans and comprehensive methodology and supporting templates for sub national adaptation planning. The Adaptation Guidebook complements the step-based methodology CCS applies to mitigation work, and if applied consecutively, will have progressive impact in advanced climate planning and action. 2011.
    www.climatestrategies.us/articles/articles/view/40

  • Adaptation Wizard (UK Climate Impacts Programme)
    The UKCIP Adaptation Wizard is a tool to help your organization adapt to climate change. It will take you through a 5-step process that will help you to assess your organization’s vulnerability to current climate and future climate change, identify options to address your organization’s key climate risks, and help you develop and implement a climate change adaptation strategy. Includes downloadable spreadsheets and documents. You must register (free) to have access to the Wizard.
    www.ukcip.org.uk/wizard/

  • Adaptation Database and Planning Tool (ADAPT) (ICLEI)
    ADAPT is an online tool that guides local government users through a planning process known as the Five Milestones for Climate Adaptation. ADAPT walks you through the process of assessing your vulnerabilities, setting resiliency goals, and developing plans that integrate into existing hazard and comprehensive planning efforts. You need to be an ICLEI member to have access to the tool; there is a membership fee.
    www.icleiusa.org/programs/climate/Climate_Adaptation/adaptation-database-and-planning-tool-adapt

  • Climate Change Action Planning for Local Government Workshop Package (Local Government and Shires Associations of New South Wales)
    This Workshop Package was developed to assist Australian local governments to undertake workshops to plan a local climate change response. The Workshop Package offers: step by step guidance for preparing for and facilitating a series of structured workshops and meetings, risk assessment tools and templates, technical guidance and references, PowerPoint presentations, details for group activities and facilitation techniques, evaluation forms, a template for a climate change action plan. examples and case studies.
    www.lgsa-plus.net.au/www/html/1903-climate-change-action-pack.asp

  • Climate Change Handbook for Regional Water Planning (California Dept. of Water Resources (DWR), US EPA, Resources Legacy Fund, and US Army Corps of Engineers)
    Handbook provides a framework for considering climate change in water management planning. Key decision considerations, resources, tools, and decision options are presented that will guide resource managers and planners as they develop means of adapting their programs to a changing climate. The handbook uses DWR's Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) planning framework as a model into which analysis of climate change impacts and planning for adaptation and mitigation can be integrated. Handbook includes: Advice on how water resource managers can take climate change into consideration; summary of climate change science with links to resources and tools; Tools for evaluating greenhouse gas emissions for a project; Tools for measuring regional climate change impacts; Case studies of communities already incorporating climate change into water resource management. November 2011.
    www.water.ca.gov/climatechange/CCHandbook.cfm

  • Technologies for Climate Change Adaptation - Water Sector (United Nations Environment Programme Risoe Center)
    This guidebook describes adaptation strategies in the categories of water conservation; storm water control and capture; resilience to water quality degradation; preparation for extreme weather events; diversification of water supply; and mitigation. It has been made widely available and will help both developed and developing countries understand various means of increasing resilience to the uncertain effects of future climate change. The Water Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provided technical and methodological expertise. April 2011.
    www.waterinstitute.unc.edu/unep-project

  • Drought Ready Communities (National Drought Mitigation Center, Oklahoma Climatological Survey, Illinois State Water Survey and State Climatologist’s Office, and Lower Platte River Corridor Alliance)
    Guide outlines broad-based process, recognizing that drought creates problems that go beyond the scope of what water suppliers alone can address. Worksheets and other exercises can help communities see how drought has affected water supplies and overall community well-being in the past. Guide can help communities identify their drought monitoring resources, so they can spot emerging drought. Planning section helps communities determine steps they can take to reduce their drought risk ahead of time. Includes case studies and an extensive resource collection on how other municipalities have planned for drought, including both processes and solutions. 2010.
    www.drought.unl.edu/Planning/PlanningProcesses/DroughtReadyCommunities.aspx

  • Tools: Managing in the Era of Uncertainty (Carpe Diem West)
    Website provides a compendium of information and tools, presents them in an easy-to-use format, and provides helpful frames of reference. The compendium is designed to help water and energy managers make sense of the array of climate-related materials available to them. Carpe Diem West is a network of experts, advocates, decision makers, and scientists who are addressing the profound impacts the growing climate crisis is having on water in the American West.
    www.carpediemwestacademy.org/tools

  • Adaptation Strategies Guide for Water Utilities (US EPA)
    The goals of this guide are (1) to provide drinking water and wastewater utilities with a basic understanding of how climate change can impact utility operations and missions, and (2) to provide examples of actions utilities can take (i.e., adaptation options) to prepare for these impacts. January 2012.
    http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/climate/upload/epa817k11003.pdf

  • EPA's Climate Ready Water Utilities (CRWU) Program (US EPA)
    EPA's Climate Ready Water Utilities (CRWU) program provides resources for the water sector to develop and implement long-range plans that account for climate change impacts. CRWU efforts support drinking water and wastewater utilities in implementing climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, resulting in a more resilient water sector. EPA has developed several CRWU-related tools and resources, including the Climate Resilience Evaluation and Assessment Tool (CREAT), Climate Ready Water Utilities Toolbox, and the Tabletop Exercise Tool for Water Systems: Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Climate Resiliency (TTX Tool).
    http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/climate/

  • Community-Based Water Resiliency Electronic Tool (USEPA)
    The tool is an easy way to assess your community's current resiliency to water service disruptions and learn about tools and resources that can be used to enhance resiliency. A main component of the tool is the self assessment, which provides users with questions tailored to their stakeholder group and culminates in a self-assessment summary report. The report details the strengths and weaknesses of the users' community's resiliency and recommends tools and resources that can be used to enhance resiliency. Users can then navigate to the CBWR toolbox, where they can find more information about the recommended tools and resources.
    http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/communities/index.cfm

  • Scanning the Conservation Horizon: A Guide to Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (National Wildlife Federation)
    The peer-reviewed guide is designed to help conservation professionals and natural resource managers craft effective strategies to prepare for and cope with the effects of rapid climate change on the nation’s fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. Guide provides an overview of the general principles of climate change vulnerability as it relates to species, habitats, and ecosystems; a description of the scientific methods currently available for assessing vulnerability and its components, and for tailoring these approaches to particular situations and needs; and examples of vulnerability assessments carried out by government agencies, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and other stakeholders. January 2011.
    www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/Media-Center/News-by-Topic/Wildlife/2011/01-11-19-Vulnerability-Assessment-Guide-Helps...

  • System for Assessing Vulnerability of Species (SAVS) (USDA Forest Service)
    SAVS identifies the relative vulnerability or resilience of vertebrate species to climate change. Designed for managers, the SAVS is an easily applied web-based tool that uses a questionnaire of 22 predictive criteria to create vulnerability scores. The user scores species' attributes relating to potential vulnerability or resilience associated with projections for their region. Six scores are produced: an overall score denoting level of vulnerability or resilience, four categorical scores (habitat, physiology, phenology, and biotic interactions) indicating source of vulnerability, and an uncertainty score, which reflects user confidence in the predicted response. The SAVS provides a framework for integrating new information into the climate change assessment process.
    www.fs.fed.us/rm/grassland-shrubland-desert/products/species-vulnerability/

  • NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index
    This tool can help identify plant and animal species that are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Using the Index, you apply readily available information about a species' natural history, distribution and landscape circumstances to predict whether it will likely suffer a range contraction, population reductions, or both during the coming years. © 2011 NatureServe.
    www.natureserve.org/prodServices/climatechange/ccvi.jsp

  • Adaptive Management (US Dept. of Interior)
    Technical guide for adaptive resource management. 2007.
    www.doi.gov/initiatives/AdaptiveManagement/TechGuide.pdf

  • Forest Health Protection Mapping and Reporting (USDA Forest Service)
    Explore forest insect and disease conditions in the United States using Forest Health Protection Mapping and Reporting Tools. Includes insect and disease maps, forest disturbance maps, and Pest Event Reporter where you can submit a forest insect or disease event.
    www.foresthealth.info/portal

  • Tribal Wildfire Resource Guide (Univ. of Oregon, Intertribal Timber Council, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation)
    Guide provides tribes with a wealth of information on community fire planning, fire, forest, and natural resource policy, opportunities for economic development through fire management, and extensive grant information related to wildfire and forest management, business development, capacity building, and environmental and natural resource management. Guide also provides information to help public forestry and land management agencies better understand the role of consultation with tribes and the opportunities for cross-jurisdictional planning, as well as gain a greater understanding of tribal affairs, culture, and traditions. Case studies serve as examples of wildfire-related activities in Indian country. June 2006. *
    Tribal Wildfire Resource Guide

  • Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (IPCC)
    This Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report addresses, for the first time, how integrating expertise in climate science, disaster risk management, and adaptation can inform discussions on how to reduce and manage the risks of extreme events and disasters in a changing climate. It evaluates the role of climate change in altering characteristics of extreme events and assesses experience with a wide range of options used by institutions, organizations, and communities to reduce exposure and vulnerability, and improve resilience, to climate extremes. Among these are early-warning systems, innovations in insurance coverage, improvements in infrastructure, and the expansion of social safety nets. The report also incorporates case studies that illustrate specific extreme events.
    http://ipcc-wg2.gov/SREX/

  • How Resilient is Your Coastal Community?: A Guide for Evaluating Coastal Community Resilience to Tsunamis and Other Hazards
    Guide on how to assess the resilience of a coastal community to a wide range of natural hazards.
    apps.develebridge.net/usiotws/13/CoastalCommunityResilience%20Guide.pdf

  • IS-318 - Mitigation Planning for Local and Tribal Communities (FEMA)
    Mitigation Planning for Local and Tribal Communities (also referred to as Hazard Mitigation Planning), is an interactive web-based course offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The goals of this course are to: 1) Assist participants in undertaking the hazard mitigation plan development process. This plan will meet the needs of your community and fulfill the requirements for local plans, as described in 44 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §201.6, or for Tribal plans, as described in 44 CFR §201.7. 2) Help federal and state plan reviewers interpret the regulations to inform the review of local or Tribal hazard mitigation plans.
    www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is318.asp

  • Adapting to Climate Change: A Planning Guide for State Coastal Managers (NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management)
    Guidebook was developed to help US state coastal managers develop and implement adaptation plans to reduce the risks associated with climate change impacts affecting their coasts. Tribes located along coasts may find the guide helpful, and may choose to use individual steps or chapters or the entire guide, depending on where they are in their planning process. 2010. *
    http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/climate/adaptation.html

  • Roadmap for Adapting to Coastal Risk (NOAA)
    Roadmap for Adapting to Coastal Risk is a participatory process for assessing a community’s vulnerability to hazards and for incorporating relevant data and information about hazards and climate into ongoing local planning and decision-making. Website gives overview of process, training information, and resources, including the Inundation Toolkit.
    www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/training/roadmap/training.html

  • Habitat Priority Planner (NOAA Coastal Services Center)
    This tool aids in making decisions about habitat conservation, restoration, and land use planning. The Habitat Priority Planner takes away much of the subjective nature of the process by providing a means of obtaining critical habitat analyses that are consistent, repeatable, and transparent. The program allows users to easily test various ideas and "what if" scenarios on the fly, making it the perfect tool to use in a group setting.
    www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/tools/hpp/index.html

  • Rolling Easements Primer (EPA Climate Ready Estuaries Program)
    This technical primer describes the ways in which the private sector and state and local governments can respond to sea level rise. The report examines rolling easements, a collection of approaches allowing beaches and wetlands to migrate inland as sea levels rise, in cases where traditional protective measures such as the construction of dikes, seawalls, and other structures may prove economically or environmentally unsustainable. EPA developed this primer to examine a full range of long-term planning approaches for communities to consider when preparing for rising sea levels and includes more than a dozen long term planning approaches.
    www.epa.gov/cre/downloads/rollingeasementsprimer.pdf

  • Climate Change: Mastering the Public Health Role
    Guidebook is based on six-part webinar series hosted by the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is intended to be a useful tool to help prepare the public health community for the challenges of climate change. April 2011.
    APHA Climate Change Guidebook

  • Small Communities Toolkit (ICLEI)
    Toolkit designed to help small communities overcome limitations such as part-time or volunteer elected officials, small budgets, and minimal municipal control, through detailed resources, case studies, and guidance.
    www.icleiusa.org/action-center/learn-from-others/small-communities-toolkit/



Websites    [Top]
  • CAKE—Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (Island Press and EcoAdapt)
    CAKE is an online adaptation knowledge base and community website for people working on environmental management issues in the face of climate change. It includes a case study database of adaptation projects and ideas; a virtual library with resources such as journal articles, presentations, reports, and more; a directory of professionals practicing climate change adaptation; a community section with an adaptation expert advice column, calendar, and announcement board; and a tools section with a list tools available online to help you process climate change information and make adaptation decisions.
    www.cakex.org/

  • Georgetown Adaptation Clearinghouse (Georgetown Climate Center)
    The Adaptation Clearinghouse seeks to assist state policymakers, resource managers, academics, and others who are working to help communities adapt to climate change.
    www.georgetownclimate.org/adaptation/clearinghouse

  • National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Adaptation Strategy
    In response to increasing impacts of climate change and other stressors on America's natural resources, the US Congress has called for the development of a national, government-wide strategy to safeguard fish, wildlife, plants, and the natural systems upon which they depend. The National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy is currently being developed with input from a broad range of federal, state, and tribal partners, with active engagement with non-government organizations, industry groups, and private landowners.
    www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov/

  • CASES Adaptation Database and Library (Climate Impacts Group)
    The CASES (Climate Adaptation caSE Studies) database is a user-driven, searchable database that provides basic information on state and local level adaptation planning efforts; it was created to provide more general information on planning for climate change. The library provides links to wide variety of reports, studies, and other general information on adaptation planning that are not specific to any one community.
    cses.washington.edu/cig/cases

  • Adaptation Network (Earth Island Institute)
    www.adaptationnetwork.org/

  • weADAPT
    weADAPT.org is an online 'open space' which allows practitioners, researchers and policy makers to access credible, high quality information on adaptation issues and to share experiences and lessons learned with the climate adaptation community.
    www.weadapt.org/

  • Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources
    Website focuses on Canadian First Nations but is useful to others as well. Includes information on climate change and sustainability. Go to Information and Resources section for library of web-accessible resources and CIER publications.
    www.cier.ca/

  • Adaptation (US EPA Climate Change-Health and Environmental Effects)
    www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/adaptation.html

  • Climate Ready Estuaries (US EPA)
    Information on climate change impacts to different estuary regions, tools and resources to monitor changes, and information to help managers develop adaptation plans for estuaries and coastal communities.
    www.epa.gov/cre/

  • Coastal Climate Adaptation (NOAA’s National Ocean Service)
    Website provides resources, forums, and calendar for states along the oceans and Great Lakes coasts. Resources include links to adaptation and action plans, case studies, guidebooks, and more.
    http://collaborate.csc.noaa.gov/climateadaptation/default.aspx

  • Digital Coast (NOAA)
    Provides data and also the tools, training, and information needed to turn these data into the information most needed by coastal resource management professionals. Some tools are web-based, providing direct online analysis and viewing, while others are downloadable extensions that provide new functionality for desktop geographic information systems.
    www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/index.html

  • National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center (USGS)
    The goals of the center are to assess, synthesize and share current information on climate change to project future impacts on fish, wildlife, and habitats; assist Federal, state and other agencies and organizations in developing adaptive management strategies; and consult with Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies, universities, nongovernmental organizations, and other public and private entities to identify research and monitoring priorities.
    http://nccw.usgs.gov/

  • Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Resource Center (CA Dept. of Fish and Game)
    Vulnerability assessments are a key element to successful climate change adaptation as they reveal what systems, species, populations, entities, etc. are most vulnerable to expected climatic changes, often depending on factors such as exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. With the increased recognition of the utility of vulnerability assessments, efforts to conduct these assessments are becoming more and more common. Website provides links to vulnerability assessment tools and resources and to vulnerability assessments that have been done.
    www.dfg.ca.gov/Climate_and_Energy/Vulnerability_Assessments/

  • Climate Change Resource Center (US Forest Service)
    Reference website for resource managers and decision makers who need information and tools to address climate change in planning and project implementation on lands in the West.
    www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/

  • Adapting to Climate Change: A Short Course for Land Managers (US Forest Service)
    Online course with videos, interactive quizzes, literature citations, and links to further information about climate and implications for management of national forests and grasslands.
    www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/hjar/

  • Climate Change Assessments (USDA Forest Service Climate Change Resource Center)
    Series of synthesis papers that focus on climate change assessments discuss the basics of climate change impact assessments, vulnerability assessments, and natural resource assessments, in addition to providing accompanying reading and web resources for each of these categories. These web pages are written by subject experts within the Forest Service and represent a great way to start learning more about and accessing examples of current assessments.
    www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/topics/assessments/

  • Climate Solutions University (CSU): Forest and Water Strategies (Model Forest Policy Program)
    CSU provides a framework to assist rural forested communities with on-the-ground solutions to our climate crisis. By learning to maintain healthy forests these communities: conserve water resources; protect citizens from flooding, drought, and health hazards; sequester carbon; preserve their economy, maintain natural habitat; and build a sustainable baseline for resource oriented jobs and recreation. This 10-month educational term empowers local communities in resource rich areas to develop climate action plans relevant to local forest, water and economic issues.
    www.mfpp.org/csu/

  • FedCenter.gov Climate Change Adaptation
    FedCenter.gov is the federal government's home for comprehensive environmental stewardship and compliance assistance information. FedCenter added a new topic to its program area lineup - Climate Change Adaptation. This area includes the latest guidance and information resources to help federal agencies facilitate climate adaptation planning, and contains valuable information for a broad range of users.
    www.fedcenter.gov/programs/climate/

  • Tiempo Climate Portal and Climate Newswatch (Stockholm Environment Institute and International Institute for Environment and Development)
    Tiempo Climate Portal has listing of selected websites covering climate and development and related issues. Tiempo Climate Newswatch is a weekly on-line magazine with news, features and comment on global warming, climate change, sea-level rise and development issues.
    www.tiempocyberclimate.org/


Reports and Other Documents    [Top]
  • Climate change adaptation planning in remote, resource-dependent communities: an Arctic example
    Journal article describing a methodology for climate change adaptation planning in remote, resource-dependent communities. Regional Environmental Change, 3/15/12.
    www.springerlink.com/content/p57m1n5474776778/

  • Adapting to Climate Change: Why Adaptation Policy is More Difficult than We Think (and what to do about it) (Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts)
    This paper is an overview of the climate change adaptation literature, and it explores the nature of adaptation. It discusses three fundamental problems with adaptation which limit what society will be able to achieve through adaptation, and it suggests ways to focus adaptation. October 2010.
    www.wicci.wisc.edu/report/Adaptation.pdf

  • Shifting Course: Climate Adaptation for Water Management Institutions (World Wildlife Fund)
    A key challenge for successful climate change adaptation is the development of institutions that can respond more effectively to an uncertain climate future. Because water is the main medium through which we are likely to experience climate change, institutions that play a role in water resources management have a particular need to become more adaptive in their operations and interactions. This report identifies a set of principles for climate-adaptive institutions, and includes five case studies from around the world that highlight different institutional responses to climate change and related challenges. © 2011 WWF.
    www.adaptiveinstitutions.org/

  • CIER awarded grant for facilitating action for climate change adaption
    The Council of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) announced the winners of $1.3 million of grants under the CEC's North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action (NAPECA) program. As part of the effort to address environmental problems locally and support communities across North America, the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER) in Canada was awarded with $147,500 US to deliver a workshop to help build capacity of tribal and Indigenous groups to build resilience in their communities and adapt to climate change in Canada and the United States. 2/17/12.
    www.cier.ca/new-and-noteworthy.aspx
    www.cec.org/Page.asp?PageID=751&SiteNodeID=1074&BL_ExpandID=363

  • Rooftops to Rivers II - Green Strategies for Controlling Stormwater and Combined Sewer Overflows (Natural Resources Defense Council)
    Report provides case studies for 14 geographically diverse cities employing green infrastructure solutions to address stormwater challenges. These leading cities have recognized how stormwater, once viewed as a costly nuisance, can be transformed into a community resource. This report also recognizes the multitude of benefits green infrastructure provides over conventional infrastructure, particularly its cost-effectiveness, natural hazard resilience and augmented water supply. © Natural Resources Defense Council, November 2011.
    www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/rooftopsii/

  • An Assessment of Decision-Making Processes: Evaluation of Where Land Protection Planning can Incorporate Climate Change Information (US EPA)
    This report, prepared by the Global Change Research Program in the National Center for Environmental Assessment of the Office of Research and Development at the U.S. EPA,is a review of decision-making processes of selected land protection programs. Goal of report is to assess the feasibility of incorporating climate change impacts into the evaluation of these programs. The assessment revealed that there are several strategies that might be useful for incorporating climate change into decision making. As part of a portfolio of adaptation strategies, land protection may become more important for jurisdictions, particularly to ameliorate climate change impacts on watersheds and wildlife. September 2011.
    http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/global/recordisplay.cfm?deid=238091

  • Moving the Conservation Goalposts: A Review of Climate Change Adaptation Literature
    As the impacts of climate change become increasingly evident, resource managers and conservationists are being challenged to rethink long-held assumptions and strategies. Preparing for and coping with the effects of climate change—or climate adaptation— is becoming an overarching framework for conservation, and offers insight into the reconsideration of existing goals and strategies. This literature review, developed as a contribution to the Adaptation 2012 conference, is designed to help characterize the evolution of the field, and highlight key trends underway.
    www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/Media-Center/Reports/Archive/2011/Moving-the-Conservation-Goalposts.aspx

  • White Paper: Tribal Climate Change Adaptation Options: A Review of The Scientific Literature (USEPA)
    Summary of information in published scientific literature on climate change impacts, vulnerabilities of tribal resources to climate change, and adaptation options for tribes. January 2010.
    White paper: Tribal Climate Change Adaptation Options

  • Tribal Drought Planning (National Drought Mitigation Center)
    Tribal drought plans and ppt presentations. Tribes include Hopi, Navajo Nation, Zuni, Hualapai, and Northern Cheyenne.
    www.drought.unl.edu/Planning/ResourcesbySector/TribalDroughtPlanning.aspx

  • The Mitigation-Adaptation Connection: Milestones, Synergies and Contradictions (ICLEI)
    A primer that discusses the synergies and differences between climate mitigation and adaptation planning.
    www.icleiusa.org/action-center/planning/The%20Mitigation-Adaptation%20Connection.pdf

  • Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
    Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC. 2007.
    www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg2/en/contents.html

  • Climate Change Adaptation: What Federal Agencies are Doing (Pew Center on Global Climate Change)
    Report provides overview of Federal actions, strategies, resources and programs being developed to address climate change adaptation. Federal agencies are stepping forward and beginning to mainstream consideration of climate change adaptation across their programs and policies. Some agencies are also taking a leadership role in enabling state, local and tribal governments, businesses, and communities in their adaptation planning and projects. November 2010.
    www.pewclimate.org/publications/report/climate-change-adaptation-what-federal-agencies-are-doing

  • Adaptation Planning: What US States and Localities are Doing (Pew Center on Global Climate Change)
    Adaptation plans and actions by state and local governments, Nov. 2007, updated Aug. 2009.
    www.pewclimate.org/publications/workingpaper/adaptation-planning-what-us-states-and-localities-are-doing

  • A Survey of Climate Change Adaptation Planning (The Heinz Center)
    www.cmu.edu/steinbrenner/images/docs/Adaptation_Report_October_10_2007.pdf

  • New CCAP Reports on Local Climate Adaptation and Green Infrastructure Efforts (Center for Clean Air Policy)
    CCAP released two new reports on improving community resilience and prosperity by incorporating climate change adaptation best practices into city planning strategies. The reports, The Value of Green Infrastructure for Urban Climate Adaptation and Lessons Learned on Local Climate Adaptation from the Urban Leaders Adaptation Initiative, include examples of local government adaptation planning and discuss the multiple benefits of using green infrastructure.
    www.ccap.org/docs/resources/989/Green_Infrastructure_FINAL.pdf
    www.ccap.org/docs/resources/988/Urban_Leaders_Lessons_Learned_FINAL.pdf

  • Water, Climate Change, and Forests: Watershed Stewardship for a Changing Climate (USFS)
    Report shows that forests play a critical role in protecting watersheds from the impacts of climate change. The report details the pressures on forests, including booming human populations and problems posed by climate change, from warmer temperatures to invasive species. Theme of this report is that adaptation actions should generally focus on maintaining or improving watersheds because healthy, resilient watersheds are more likely to supply desired ecological services in the face of climate change. June 2010. *
    www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr812.pdf

  • Climate Change Adaptation Strategies for Resource Management and Conservation Planning
    Journal article by Joshua J. Lawler reviews strategies that have been used for managing natural systems and discusses adaptive management as an approach to use in a changing climate. The Year in Ecology and Conservation Biology, 2009: Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1162: 79–98 (2009).
    http://courses.washington.edu/cfr590/climatechange/Lawler.2009.pdf

  • Preliminary Review of Adaptation Options for Climate-sensitive Ecosystems and Resources (US Climate Change Science Program), 2008.
    www.climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap4-4/final-report/

  • Strategies for Managing the Effects of Climate Change on Wildlife and Ecosystems (The Heinz Center)
    www.heinzctr.org/Major_Reports_files/Strategies for Manageing the Effects of Climate Change on Wildlife and Ecosystems.pdf

  • Buying Time: A User's Manual for Building Resistance and Resilience to Climate Change in Natural Systems (World Wildlife Fund)
    WWF compiled “Buying Time: A User’s Manual for Building Resistance and Resilience to Climate Change in Natural Systems” for natural resource managers who are ready to confront the impacts of climate change. While far from comprehensive, this manual brings together assessments and potential initial adaptation strategies for various biomes.2003.
    Buying Time

  • The State of Marine and Coastal Adaptation in North America: A Synthesis of Emerging Ideas (EcoAdapt)
    Report provides a brief overview of key climate change impacts on the natural and built environments in marine and coastal North America and a review of adaptation options available to and in use by marine and coastal managers. This report presents the results of EcoAdapt’s efforts to survey, inventory, and assess adaptation projects from different regions, jurisdictions, and scales throughout North America’s marine and coastal environments. January 2011.
    www.cakex.org/virtual-library/1615

  • Decision-Making For At-Risk Communities in a Changing Climate (Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks)
    Report informs decision-makers on issues relating to climate change and uncertainty, risk management, and relocation planning, including the steps from planning through execution, perspectives on community engagement, partial relocation, site development costs, and timing. Sustainability recommendations focus on defining sustainability, future energy planning, planning for a changing cost of living, and available transportation corridors. 2009.
    www.uaf.edu/accap/documents/DecisionMakingForCommunitiesAtRisk.pdf

  • Audio: Preparing for a Warmer Climate
    How prepared are we for the next big storm? In an interview with "Science Friday" host Ira Flato, Mark Hertsgaard explains how some countries like the Netherlands are planning 200 years in advance for rising sea levels and alternating periods of drought and heavy rains. 4/1/11.
    www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201104012



Alaska and the Arctic    [Top]
  • Audio: SLU Professor calls for climate assistance for Alaskan villages
    Delegates from nearly 200 countries met in South Africa for the United Nations Convention on climate change. St. Lawrence University professor Jon Rosales just returned from Durban. He's been advocating on behalf of villages on the Bering Strait, on the west coast of Alaska, which are the focus of his research. © 2011 North Country Public Radio, 12/9/11.
    www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/18912/20111209/slu-professor-calls-for-climate-assistance-for-alaskan-villages

  • Kivalina Claims Climate Change Cover-up by Energy Companies
    The battle between some of the world's most powerful energy companies and Kivalina, an Alaska village that's losing ground to climate change, went to federal appeals court. Copyright © 2011 Alaska Dispatch, 11/25/11.
    www.alaskadispatch.com/article/kivalina-claims-climate-change-cover-energy-companies

  • Teaching a Yupik Eskimo Village to Map Climate Change Impacts
    Located in Western Alaska at approximately 59 degrees latitude and within one mile of the Bering Sea, Quinhagak is a quintessential Yupik Eskimo community of about 600 individuals who care deeply about preserving their heritage. This article details how the community took advantage of an Esri 4-H Train the Trainer Grant and other resources to conduct a three-week-long GPS/GIS course. They trained four youth and four adults to use these skills to map archeological sites and environmentally sensitive areas. © 2011 Directions Media. 10/17/11.
    www.directionsmag.com/articles/teaching-a-yupik-eskimo-village-to-map-climate-change-impacts/208512

  • Climate Change in Alaska and Hawaii: Roadmaps for Federal Adaptation Policies
    Article about impacts of climate change on Alaska and Hawaii, challenges faced by Alaska Native Villages that need to relocate, and efforts by some Native Hawaiian people to reclaim indigenous cultural traditions of small-scale, local ecosystem management. Truthout, 10/10/11.
    http://truth-out.org/climate-change-alaska-and-hawaii-roadmaps-federal-adaptation-policies/1316196527

  • Video: Adapting to Climate Change in Alaska
    Alaskans ranging from Unalakleet to Kenai to Ketchikan are witnessing changes to their environment due to climate change. Erosion, invasive species, forest fires, flooding, thawing permafrost, melting ice, and shifting animal habitats are many of the changes taking place. This video describes steps being taken by some communities to adapt to these changes and to maintain their lifestyles in the face of climate change. Produced by Alaska Sea Grant and NOAA Alaska Region. 17 minutes. 2011
    http://seagrant.uaf.edu/map/climate/videos/adaptingclimate/index.php

  • Alaska Case Studies of Climate Change Adaptation Planning: a Comparison of Agency- and Community-led Processes
    Paper examines four adaptation planning efforts, two that were led by federal and state agencies and two that were community-led. Cast studies were evaluated based on six indicators of success for community planning. Master’s degree project at University of Alaska Fairbanks. May 2009.
    https://sites.google.com/a/alaska.edu/srbecker/my-work/publications/pdfs

  • Climate Change in Point Hope, Alaska: Strategies for Community Health (Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s Center for Climate and Health)
    This is the first climate change health impact assessment performed in Alaska. The report describes impacts, explores positive and negative health effects, and offers specific recommendations for adaptation strategies. The community of Point Hope is located at the westernmost point on the northwest Alaska coast. Life in Point Hope revolves around the harvest of sea mammals: walrus, seal, and whale. Climate change is increasing the risk of injury, interfering with the harvest of traditional foods, altering water quality, and decreasing food security. August, 2010.
    www.anthc.org/chs/ces/climate/climateandhealthreports.cfm

  • Case studies about Alaska Village Relocation Efforts (CAKE—Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange)
    CAKE has developed a Case Study Database to provide quick access to information about on-the-ground climate change adaptation projects. The database includes several case studies about Alaska Native village relocation efforts.
    Kivalina: www.cakex.org/case-studies/2773
    Newtok: www.cakex.org/case-studies/1588
    Shishmaref: www.cakex.org/case-studies/2770

  • Alaska’s Climate Refugees Build New Village
    Article about village of Newtok, AK, which is in the process of relocating because of thawing permafrost and erosion at current location. © Thomson Reuters 2010, Feb 23, 2010.
    www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2221852020100223?type=marketsNews

  • Flooded Village Files Suit, Citing Corporate Link to Climate Change
    New York Times article about Alaska Native Village of Kivalina's lawsuit holding 5 oil companies, 14 electric utilities and the country's largest coal company responsible for the village's need to relocate in response to climate change impacts. Feb. 27, 2008.
    www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/us/27alaska.html

  • Victim of Climate Change, a Town Seeks a Lifeline
    New York Times article about Newtok, AK, May 27, 2007.
    www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/us/27newtok.html?ex=1337918400&en=7e93b10cdd7c61d0&ei=5090

  • Video: Climate Change Migrants--USA
    Impacts of climate change and need for relocation of Shishmaref.
    http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=W_8Ar-5UH8s&feature=related

  • Video: Alaskan Village Copes With Real-life Impacts of Global Climate Change
    9-minute segment of NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (PBS) about Shishmaref, Newtok, and Kivalina, AK. July 10, 2008.
    www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/environment/july-dec08/alaskawarming_07-10.html

  • Alaska Native Villages: Limited Progress Has Been Made on Relocating Villages Threatened by Flooding and Erosion (US General Accounting Office)
    GAO report to Congress on flooding and erosion threats that Alaska Native villages currently face, federal programs that are available to assist villages facing potential disasters, status of village relocation efforts, and how federal assistance to relocating villages is prioritized. June 2009.
    GAO Report on Alaska Native Villages

  • An Examination of Erosion Issues in the Communities of Bethel, Dillingham, Kaktovik, Kivalina, Newtok, Shishmaref, and Unalakleet (US Army Corps of Engineers)
    Report on costs of ongoing erosion, cost to relocate a community, and amount of time these communities have left before they are lost to erosion. April 2006.
    US Army Corps of Engineers Report on Erosion Issues of Alaska Native

  • S.O.S. Project--Save Our Shishmaref (Shishmaref School)
    Students are raising funds for relocating Shishmaref.
    http://shishmaref.bssd.org/sos/

  • Shishmaref Erosion and Relocation Coalition
    The Inupiaq community of Shishmaref, located on a small island in NW Alaska, needs to be relocated to the mainland because of beachfront erosion and vulnerability to storms.
    www.shishmarefrelocation.com/index.html



Hawaii and Pacific Islands    [Top]


  • Center for Island Climate Adaptation and Policy--ICAP (Center for Island Climate Adaptation and Policy, Univ. of Hawai'i)
    ICAP facilitates a sustainable, climate-conscious future for Hawai'I, the Pacific, and Global Island Communities. Located at the Univ. of Hawai'i at Manoa, ICAP serves as a focal point of climate expertise. It connects individuals and institutions to the rich climate knowledge housed at the university. Website includes overviews of climate change impacts and adaptation, publications, and an Island Climate Clearinghouse.
    http://web.me.com/icap1/Island_Climate/Home/Home.html

  • Sea-level Rise and Coastal Land Use in Hawai'i: A Policy Tool Kit for State and Local Governments (Center for Island Climate Adaptation and Policy, Univ. of Hawai'i)
    Responding to results of a survey of Hawai'i coastal management decision-makers, ICAP researched and developed a "tool kit" that identifies and explains key land use policy tools for state and local government agencies and officials to facilitate leadership and action in support of sea-level rise adaptation in Hawai'i. December 2011.
    http://web.me.com/icap1/Island_Climate/Home/Entries/2012/1/13_New_Publication__ICAPs_Sea-Level_Rise_and_Coastal_Land_Use_Policy_Tool_Kit.html

  • A Framework for Climate Change Adaptation in Hawai'I (Center for Island Climate Adaptation and Policy, Univ. of Hawai'i)
    Prepared by ICAP and the Hawai'i Ocean Resources Management Plan (ORMP) Working Group, the Framework encourages and facilitates coordinated climate change adaptation planning for state and local agencies, policy-makers and federal, business and community partners. November 2009.
    http://web.me.com/icap1/Island_Climate/Publications_files/HI_Adaptation_framework_2009.pdf


Pacific Northwest    [Top]
  • Clearwater River Subbasin Climate Change Adaptation Plan (Nez Perce Tribe)
    In 2011, the Nez Perce Tribe's Water Resources Division received a one year educational scholarship grant to participate in Climate Solutions University's Model Forest Policy Program (MFPP). The MFPP held monthly webinars that addressed the different elements of writing a climate change adaptation plan, based on case studies from communities around the country. Over the course of a year, the Nez Perce Tribe developed a climate change adaptation plan for the Clearwater River Subbasin that focuses on forest and water resources, as well as the potential economic impacts of climate change on those resources. The goal of the adaptation plan is to act as a catalyst for the regional community to begin developing and implementing detailed adaptation strategies in order to better withstand the impacts of a changing climate upon the natural resources, economy and social structure of the Clearwater River Subbasin in the decades to come.
    Adaptation Plan

  • Quileute Tribe 'Ecstatic' About Move Out Of Tsunami Zone
    The U.S. Congress slightly shrank Olympic National Park to allow the Quileute Indian Tribe on the Washington coast to move out of a tsunami zone. President Obama is expected to sign the legislation soon. © 2012 Northwest News Network. 2/14/12.
    http://news.opb.org/article/quileute_tribe_ecstatic_about_move_out_of_tsunami_zone/?utm_source=Sightline+Newsletters&utm_campaign=4e65aec172-SightlineDaily&utm_medium=email

  • Rivers and Tides: Restoring the Nisqually Estuary (CAKE—Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange)
    Case study about Nisqually river delta restoration project involving several partners, including the Nisqually Tribe. 6/6/11.
    www.cakex.org/virtual-library/rivers-and-tides-restoring-nisqually-estuary

  • Seeing Trends, Coalition Works to Help a River Adapt
    New York Times article about a coalition of tribal government leaders, private partners and federal and local agencies that is working to help the Nisqually River watershed (in Washington) and its inhabitants adapt. Strategies include reserving land for marshes to move to as sea level rises, promoting rain gardens to absorb warm runoff, and installing logjams in the river to create cooler pools for fish. © 2011 The New York Times Company, 7/20/11.
    www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/science/earth/21river.html?_r=2

  • Tribes Are Reacting To Climate Change
    Discusses efforts of several tribes in the Pacific Northwest to address impacts of climate change. © 2011 Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, 6/1/11.
    http://nwifc.org/2011/06/tribes-are-reacting-to-climate-change/

  • Swinomish Climate Change Initiative
    Website about Swinomish Indian Tribal Community's project to assess local impacts, identify vulnerabilities, and prioritize planning areas and actions to address the possible effects of climate change. In the Fall of 2010, the tribe completed its climate change adaptation plan, which represents the culmination of two years work under a project funded by the Administration for Native Americans. The tribe’s adaptation plan and climate change impact assessment (completed in 2009), can be used as a model to assist other tribal governments and jurisdictions with implementing strategic climate change planning policies and actions within their local communities. The impacts assessment and adaptation plan are available at the website. *
    www.swinomish-nsn.gov/climate_change/climate_main.html

  • The Oregon Climate Change Adaptation Framework (State of Oregon)
    Report constitutes a framework for the continued development of strategies and plans to address future climate conditions. The framework lays out expected climate-related risks, the basic adaptive capacity to deal with those risks, short-term priority actions, and several steps that will evolve into a long-term process to improve Oregon’s capacity to adapt to variable and changing climate conditions. It was developed in parallel with the Oregon Climate Assessment Report (OCAR) by the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute. December 2010.*
    Oregon Climate Change Adaptation Framework: www.lcd.state.or.us/LCD/docs/ClimateChange/Framework_Final.pdf
    Oregon Climate Assessment Report: http://occri.net/ocar

  • Climate Ready Communities: A Strategy for Adapting to Impacts of Climate Change on the Oregon Coast (Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development)
    Provides strategy to help coastal decision-makers, legislators, and the public look ahead to possible effects of global climate change on the Oregon coast and to help frame a process for coastal communities and agencies of the State of Oregon to work together to plan for those effects. 2009. *
    www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/GBLWRM/docs/climate_ready_communities.pdf

  • Preparing Oregon’s Fish, Wildlife, and Habitats for Future Climate Change: A Guide for State Adaptation Efforts (Oregon Global Warming Commission)
    This document outlines a plan for preparing for climate change in natural systems, with a specific focus on management of fish and wildlife populations and their habitats in Oregon. 2008. *
    www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/GBLWRM/docs/f-w_adaptation_guide.pdf

  • Fuel Treatments Reduce Wildfire Severity, Tree Mortality in Washington Forests
    USFS news release about a study conducted by US Forest Service and University of Washington scientists that has found that fuel treatments—even of only a few acres—can reduce fire severity and protect older trees desirable for their timber, wildlife, and carbon-storage value. August 25, 2010. *
    www.fs.fed.us/pnw/news/2010/08/fuel.shtml

  • Constant Flooding Forces Out Pacific Northwest Tribe
    CNN Article about the plight of the Hoh Tribe on the coast of Washington and the tribe’s need to move to higher ground. Includes a video. April 23, 2010
    http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/04/21/hoh.reservation.flooding/



Southwest and Great Basin    [Top]
  • Southwest Tribal Climate Change Workshop Report (Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals)
    The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP), in collaboration with the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, hosted a workshop at Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, Arizona, on September 13-14, 2011, to bring together tribes in Arizona and New Mexico to discuss tribal climate change issues and concerns, strategies to address climate change impacts, and tribal resource and research needs. The report provides an overview of the workshop, including the small group discussions about climate change impacts, adaptation strategies, and resource and research needs. December 2011.
    Southwest Tribal Climate Change Workshop Report

  • Tribal Climate Change Efforts in Arizona and New Mexico (Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals)
    The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) staff researched climate change efforts being undertaken by tribes, tribal organizations, and academic institutions in the USDA Forest Service Southwestern region comprised of Arizona and New Mexico, and prepared this report for the USDA Forest Service. Identifying existing climate change efforts serves as a beginning point to engage in an ongoing dialogue related to research, extension, and policy needs for sustainable resource management by tribes. December 2010.
    Tribal Climate Change Efforts in Arizona and New Mexico

  • Sand Dunes - How climate change is altering the landscape in the desert Southwest (Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals)
    Although climate change is a global phenomenon, the regional impacts vary around the globe. In the Southwestern United States, climate change is leading to drier, hotter conditions which have consequences for both ecosystems and human communities. Website includes information about sand dunes on the Navajo Nation and sand dune mobility and stabilization.
    www4.nau.edu/eeop/dunes/index.asp

  • Monitoring and Analysis of Sand Dune Movement and Growth on the Navajo Nation, Southwestern United States (USGS)
    Recurring drought and rising temperatures have caused reactivation and renewed growth of sand dunes on the lands of the Navajo Nation on the Colorado Plateau. Migrating dunes threaten health, housing, and transportation pathways. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are conducting research to better understand the processes of dune growth and movement. This research will provide critical data to the Native peoples of the region in their response to the changing environment. U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2011–308. July 2011.
    http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2011/3085/

  • Restoring Hózhó: Building Bio-Cultural Resilience on the Navajo Nation
    In 2005, the Quivira Coalition was approached by a group of Navajo ranchers who were running out of grass, running out of money and running out of time to reverse the trend. Fortunately, they were also running out of patience with conventional land management dogma and had the sincere desire to be stewards of their community's resources. With the support of the Ojo Encino Rancher's Committee and the Rio Puerco Alliance, Quivira’s Navajo colleagues have spent the past six years laying the groundwork for resilience in their communities. The goal of Quivira's efforts is to develop a comprehensive climate-change adaptation strategy that can be replicated in rural Native communities across the southern Colorado Plateau. Green Fire Times.
    http://greenfiretimes.com/2011/10/restoring-hozho-building-bio-cultural-resilience-on-the-navajo-nation/

  • Drought Preparedness for Tribes in the Four Corners Workshop Report (Climate Assessment for the Southwest, University of Arizona)
    The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)—in collaboration with the US Geological Survey (USGS) Flagstaff Science Center, the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), and the Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS)—hosted 1.5 day workshop in Flagstaff, Arizona, on April 8-9, 2010, to explore opportunities for developing a drought early warning system for the Four Corners region of the U.S. Southwest. The workshop report lays out the key issues discussed at the workshop, provides some basic context and information about the climate and drivers of drought in the region, and looks toward potential next steps for developing an effective drought early warning system for the Four Corners region.
    www.climas.arizona.edu/projects/2010-four-corners-tribal-workshop

  • Experts: Managing Tribal Forest Helped Stop Wallow Fire at Reservation
    Forest management strategies by the White Mountain Apache Tribe checked last summer's massive Wallow Fire there. A new federal government report that analyzed the Wallow Fire’s impact on tribal lands supports the tribe’s assessment of impacts. © Copyright Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University, 12/6/11.
    http://cronkitenewsonline.com/2011/12/experts-decades-of-logging-treatments-helped-stop-wallow-fire-at-reservation/

  • Video: The Forest for the Trees
    In Arizona, trees are cut down to save forests from massive fires and to combat climate change. © 2011 The New York Times Company.
    http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/10/01/science/100000001071584/the-forest-for-the-trees.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=thab1

  • Cal-Adapt (Univ. Of California Berkeley’s Geospatial Innovation Facility)
    Website provides access to the wealth of data and information that has been, and continues to be, produced by California’s scientific and research community. The data available on the website offer a view of how climate change might change California at the local level. Includes local climate snapshots, interactive maps and charts, access to raw data, and more.
    http://cal-adapt.org/

  • California Climate Adaptation Strategy (State of California)
    Multi-sector strategy to help guide California's efforts in adapting to climate change impacts.
    www.climatechange.ca.gov/adaptation/

  • Managing an Uncertain Future; Climate Change Adaptation Strategies for California's Water (California Department of Water Resources)
    Report focuses on need for California's water managers to adapt to impacts of climate change; proposes 10 adaptation strategies. Oct. 2008.
    Climate Change WhitePaper

  • New Mexico Tribe Works to Restore Sacred Spring
    Article about Zia Pueblo’s efforts to restore a spring that has dried up. June 2009 © News From Indian Country.
    http://indiancountrynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6614&Itemid=109

  • Presentation: Hualapai Tribe Drought Contingency Plans and Implementation (Hualapai Tribe, Dept of Natural Resources)
    Powerpoint presentation given at ITEP’s Climate Change course, August 2008.
    Download PowerPoint presentation.

  • Poster: Global Warming/Climate Change (Hualapai Tribe, Dept of Natural Resources)
    Poster about impacts on Hualapai tribe, and how the tribe is responding.
    Hualapai poster




High Plains and Prairies    [Top]



Great Lakes    [Top]


  • Climate Ready Great Lakes Training Modules (NOAA)
    NOAA in the Great Lakes works through its active climate working group, towards the development of strategic partnerships and funding critical climate projects that create a climate-literate public that understands its vulnerability to a changing climate and makes informed decisions. The training modules are 3 presentations tailored towards helping to create a Climate Ready Great Lakes. Module 1: What Am I Adapting To? Understanding the Impacts of Climate Change in the Great Lakes; Module 2: Developing a Climate Adaptation Plan? An Overview of Planning Processes and Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation; and Module 3: Climate Change Adaptation Tools Available to Great Lakes Communities.
    www.regions.noaa.gov/great_lakes/climate_ready.html

  • Wisconsin's Changing Climate: Impacts and Adaptation (Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts)
    This report is intended as a resource for business executives, government, natural resource managers, public health officials and other decision makers as they take strategic steps to preserve jobs, invest resources wisely, build resiliency and protect our built and natural environment in the face of a changing climate. 2011.
    www.wicci.wisc.edu/publications.php



Gulf Coast and Eastern Woodlands    [Top]


  • Press Release: Nonprofits Work with Gulf Coast Communities to Respond to Climate Change
    For generations, Brenda Dardar Robichaux and her family have lived along the bayous of southeast Louisiana. They depend on fish, crabs, shrimp, and oysters from the Gulf of Mexico to earn a living. They have deep ties to the homeland of the United Houma Nation, a 17,000-member Native American tribe that Robichaux, a former chief, led for 13 years. But man-made and natural hazards threaten the Houmas and other Gulf Coast communities. Environmental disruption tied to navigation and flood control on the Mississippi River, and oil and gas drilling have changed the landscape and weakened the natural systems that long buffered Gulf Coast communities from severe weather. Coalitions of nonprofit environmental, advocacy, and anti-poverty organizations have joined forces with community groups, business leaders, and government agencies to help. Together, the coalitions hope to stem, or possibly reverse, the loss of land, wildlife, fisheries, settlements, and livelihoods in the Mississippi River Delta and the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast areas. © 2011 The Kresge Foundation, 9/6/11.
    www.kresge.org/news/nonprofits-work-gulf-coast-communities-respond-climate-change



Northeast    [Top]


  • Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation Report
    This report, prepared by the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and the Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation Advisory Committee, is the first broad overview of climate change as it affects Massachusetts, the impacts of this change, vulnerabilities of multiple sectors ranging from natural resources, infrastructure, public health, and the economy. It also provides an analysis of potential strategies. Sept. 2011.
    www.mass.gov/eea/air-water-climate-change/climate-change/climate-change-adaptation-report.html



International    [Top]


  • Traditional anti-flood strategies now proving ineffective: Study by ICIMOD
    For years, the people in Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra have lived with devastating floods and dealt with them thanks to their traditional knowledge that made them flood-resilient. But the latest report compiled by Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) - 'Role of Policy and Institutions in Local Adaptation to Climate Change' have found that indigenous coping strategies of local communities are increasingly proving to be ineffective in dealing with floods. The Times of India, © 2012 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. 3/18/12.
    http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-18/guwahati/31206747_1_dhemaji-and-lakhimpur-districts-matmora-devastating-floods

  • Adapting agriculture with traditional knowledge (International Institute for Environment and Development)
    Over the coming decades, climate change is likely to pose a major challenge to agriculture; temperatures are rising, rainfall is becoming more variable and extreme weather is becoming a more common event. Researchers and policymakers agree that adapting agriculture to these impacts is a priority for ensuring future food security. Strategies to achieve that in practice tend to focus on modern science. But evidence, both old and new, suggests that the traditional knowledge and crop varieties of indigenous peoples and local communities could prove even more important in adapting agriculture to climate change. October 2011.
    http://pubs.iied.org/17111IIED.html

  • The Role of Traditional Knowledge and Crop Varieties in Adaptation to Climate Change and Food Security in SW China, Bolivian Andes and coastal Kenya
    Paper prepared for the UNU-IAS workshop on Indigenous Peoples, Marginalised Populations and Climate Change: Vulnerability, Adaptation and Traditional Knowledge, Mexico, July 2011. Indigenous peoples and local communities often live in harsh natural environments, and have had to cope with extreme weather and adapt to environmental change for centuries in order to survive. They have done this using long standing traditions and practices – or traditional knowledge (TK) – relating to adaptive ecosystem management and sustainable use of natural resources. The three case studies presented provide evidence of the crucial role of traditional crop varieties, knowledge and practices in enabling adaption to changes in climate. International Institute for Environment and Development. September 2011.
    http://pubs.iied.org/G03338.html

  • Advance Guard: Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, Mitigation and Indigenous Peoples - A Compendium of Case Studies (United Nations University – Traditional Knowledge Initiative)
    This compendium presents a wide-ranging overview of more than 400 projects, case studies and research activities specifically related to climate change and Indigenous Peoples. It provides a sketch of the climate and environmental changes, local observations and impacts being felt by communities in different regions, and outlines various adaptation and mitigation strategies that are currently being implemented by Indigenous Peoples – the world’s "advance guard" of climate change – as they use their traditional knowledge and survival skills to trial adaptive responses to change. October 2010.
    www.unutki.org/downloads/File/Publications/UNU_Advance_Guard_Compendium_2010_final_web.pdf

  • Guide on Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples—Second Edition (Tebtebba Indigenous Peoples' International Centre for Policy Research and Education)
    Report discusses the basics of climate change, mitigation and adaptation measures, and the impact of climate change on indigenous peoples. It gives examples of adaptation and mitigation processes practiced by indigenous people. It further discusses the risks and opportunities that Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) presents to indigenous people. Copyright © Tebtebba Foundation, 2009.
    www.eldis.org/go/display&type=Document&id=59528?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+eldis-any+%28Eldis+latest+research%29

  • Climate Conversations - Combining Traditional Knowledge and Climate Science in Chad
    Herders from the Fulani-Mbororo peoples in Chad have used traditional knowledge of their ecosystem to manage grazing and to develop strategies to cope with seasonal weather patterns and manage their meager resources. Now the reliability of their prediction is undermined by increasingly unpredictable weather and climate conditions, and their livelihoods and future as a culture are under threat. In a bid to adapt to the changing conditions and maintain their customary way of life, the Mbororo peoples are coming together with other pastoralists, meteorologists and African policy makers. Copyright © 2011 Thomson Reuters Foundation, 11/26/11.
    www.trust.org/alertnet/blogs/climate-conversations/combining-traditional-knowledge-and-climate-science-in-chad

  • International Traditional/Indigenous culture helps with climate change adaptation: report
    Governments are ignoring a vast store of knowledge -- generated over thousands of years -- that could protect food supplies and make agriculture more resilient to climate change, says a briefing published today by the International Institute for Environment and Development. © 2011 Current TV, LLC, 10/31/11.
    http://current.com/green/93519667_traditional-indigenous-culture-helps-with-climate-change-adaptation-report.htm

  • Climate Change Resource Library (Canadian Institute of Planners)
    Provides variety of tools and resources that have been produced to date from Canadian Institute of Planners climate change initiatives, including community adaptation plans.
    www.planningforclimatechange.ca/wwwroot/dsp_Library.cfm

  • Community-Based Adaptation (United Nations Development Programme)
    United Nations Development Programme website about its Community–based Adaptation Project, which has the goal of reducing vulnerability and increasing adaptive capacity to the adverse effects of climate change in the focal areas in which the GEF works, building the resilience of communities, ecosystems, and resource-dependant livelihoods in the face of climate change.
    www.undp-adaptation.org/projects/websites/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=203

  • Indigenous Adaptation Strategies: Small-scale Farming in Uganda (Tiempo Climate Newswatch)
    Article about small-scale farmers' livelihoods and food security strategies in Uganda. Traditional approaches to managing extreme weather events can provide a basis for adaptation to climate change, but small-scale farmers need support to make the most of the opportunities these strategies may afford.
    www.tiempocyberclimate.org/newswatch/xp_feature110714.htm

  • Video: The Gathering Storm (IRIN, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
    Award-winning series of short films highlighting the human cost of climate change. Copyright © IRIN 2011.
    Africa: www.irinnews.org/film/?id=4629&SeriesID=3
    Asia: www.irinnews.org/film/?id=4141&SeriesID=4

  • Kenyan Pastoralists Return to Past for Climate Adaptation
    Article about pastoralist communities in Kenya’s semi-arid northern and eastern regions that are reviving tradition in a bid to protect their livestock and their livelihoods from the effects of climate change. Village elders have formed leadership groups that will start defining areas where pastoralists can graze for a set period before moving on to the next area of community grazing land. Copyright © 2011 Thomson Reuters Foundation, 5/4/11.
    www.trust.org/alertnet/news/kenyan-pastoralists-return-to-past-for-climate-adaptation

  • Himalayan Village Builds Artificial Glaciers to Survive Global Warming [Slide Show]
    In the high-altitude desert of the Indian trans-Himalayas, one man is buying time for villagers suffering from global warming by creating artificial glaciers. © 2011 Scientific American, 5/24/10.
    www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=artificial-glaciers-to-survive-global-warming

  • Audio: World's Native Peoples Take on Climate Change (NPR-Living on Earth)
    Impacts on indigenous people, adaptation. 5/9/08.
    www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=08-P13-00019&segmentID=4
* This item was added to the website with support from the US Forest Service and Sustainable Northwest.




©2002 Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals & Northern Arizona University
Last updated: August 9, 2012