RISE 2019 Conference

Climate Adaptation 2: Beyond Tools: Strategies for Aiding in Adaptation and Mitigation

 

Time: 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM, November 19

Location: Assembly Hall - Campus Center

Increasingly, local government officials and other public and private sector leaders with responsibility for anticipating and preparing for the impacts of a changing climate are routinely on the lookout for tools and solutions that are relevant to strengthening community resilience. The challenge isn’t a shortage of these types of resources, but rather selecting the most effective resources from the many that are available and employing the right strategies and practices to benefit their communities and geographic regions. This panel will explore the resources available from FEMA, to NOAA, to EPA and elsewhere, as well as discuss how online, decision support platforms can be designed to improve the distribution of meaningful information and insights for decision-makers and non-technical laypersons. Specifically, discussants will probe the needs of users to easily search for tailored information by region and issue of concern such as air quality control, infrastructure resilience, wastewater management, flood protection, coastal erosion mitigation, emergency preparedness, public health readiness, and more. The panel will examine what can be learned from past and current initiatives, such as the US EPA’s Climate Change Adaptation Resource Center (ARC-X), and at the same time, identify promising opportunities yet to be explored. Moreover, the panelists will consider the range of strategies and best practices used when employing such tools and solutions, while at the same time, sharing the lessons learned from their own experiences that have bolstered community resilience through effective climate adaptation and mitigation practices.