Presentation Abstract

In August 2012, Washington Sea Grant distributed a survey to the members of Washington Sea Grant’s Coastal and Shoreline Planner’s Group in coastal counties of Washington State. The survey assesses the current role of coastal practitioners and elected officials in the climate change adaptation process, the hurdles they have encountered, and the quantity and quality of information they have on local climate change impacts. The report also draws some limited comparisons between Washington, Oregon, and California by identifying similarities and differences in hurdles to climate adaptation in these three states. Findings from this survey will contribute to the National Sea Grant goal of identifying the types of information that local jurisdictions most need in order to progress from understanding climate change to implementing adaptation initiatives. The results suggest that coastal planners regard climate change as a risk and would benefit from information about its local effects. Most respondents believe all levels of government should plan for climate change, and believe they themselves have a professional responsibility to respond; however, many respondents recognize that local governments have a limited capacity to do so. The majority of respondents are still building their understanding of how climate change affects them directly and indirectly, while a select few are planning and implementing adaptation strategies. Most respondents are encountering numerous hurdles to climate adaptation and are seeking guidance as to how to address them.

Session Title

Session S-09G: Building Community Resilience: Moving Beyond Climate Adaptation Planning to Implementation

Conference Track

Shorelines

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)

Document Type

Event

Start Date

2-5-2014 10:30 AM

End Date

2-5-2014 12:00 PM

Location

Room 6E

Genre/Form

conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)

Contributing Repository

Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Subjects – Topical (LCSH)

Climatic changes--Washington (State)--Planning--Sources; Shorelines--Monitoring--Research--Washington (State)--Sources; Climate change mitigation--Washington (State)--Sources

Subjects – Names (LCNAF)

Washington Sea Grant Program

Geographic Coverage

Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Washington (State)

Rights

This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

COinS
 
May 2nd, 10:30 AM May 2nd, 12:00 PM

Planning for Change: Climate Adaptation Survey Results

Room 6E

In August 2012, Washington Sea Grant distributed a survey to the members of Washington Sea Grant’s Coastal and Shoreline Planner’s Group in coastal counties of Washington State. The survey assesses the current role of coastal practitioners and elected officials in the climate change adaptation process, the hurdles they have encountered, and the quantity and quality of information they have on local climate change impacts. The report also draws some limited comparisons between Washington, Oregon, and California by identifying similarities and differences in hurdles to climate adaptation in these three states. Findings from this survey will contribute to the National Sea Grant goal of identifying the types of information that local jurisdictions most need in order to progress from understanding climate change to implementing adaptation initiatives. The results suggest that coastal planners regard climate change as a risk and would benefit from information about its local effects. Most respondents believe all levels of government should plan for climate change, and believe they themselves have a professional responsibility to respond; however, many respondents recognize that local governments have a limited capacity to do so. The majority of respondents are still building their understanding of how climate change affects them directly and indirectly, while a select few are planning and implementing adaptation strategies. Most respondents are encountering numerous hurdles to climate adaptation and are seeking guidance as to how to address them.