Identifying Climate Vulnerabilities

1. Identifying Climate Vulnerabilities Photo Credit: AP Photo/Brian Kersey Photo Credit: Jim Scurlock Planning for Climate Impacts in the Western Lake Superior Region September 22, 2011, Duluth Michael Davidson, Midwest Regional Director ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability USA

2. More on Climate Resilient Communities Visit: www.icleiusa.org/adaptation • Fact sheets • Mitigation-adaptation connection: milestones, synergies and contradictions • Financing climate change adaptation • Preserving Assets in At-Risk Municipalities: Financial Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation • Resources • Adaptation Database and Planning Tool (ADAPT) • Adaptation e-newsletter • Adaptation blog posts • Webinar series on adaptation (e.g., public health) • Adaptation talking points • Link to climate adaptation resources from around the nation • Adaptation Resource Toolbox (coming soon) • Updated vulnerability assessment methodology (coming soon)

3. Components of Effective Planning • Framework: The Five Milestones methodology for an “actionable” plan • Process: The framework in action • Strategy: Eight Tenets for Success • Application: Case studies of adaptation planning in action

4. Framework: Five Milestones for Adaptation Planning An intuitive, common-sense planning framework to achieve an outcome

5. Process: Framework in Action

6. Conducting a Climate Resiliency Study • Step 1: Research climate change projections • Step 2: Identify climate change impacts Resilience: The ability of a system to absorb disturbances while retaining the same basic structure and ways of functioning; the capacity to self-organize and rebound from stress and change.

7. Conducting a Climate Resiliency Study • Step 3: Conduct vulnerability assessment • Step 4: Identify key vulnerabilities

8. buy – in central management guidance inclusive & transparent research & analysis aggressive but achievable accountability institutionalization Strategy: Eight Tenets for Success • Buy-in from the chief elected official • Central management & coordination • Guidance from an external advisory board • Inclusive & transparent planning process • Research & analysis to create a fact-driven plan • Aggressive but achievable initiatives • Accountability to the public • “Institutionalization” of the plan and updating process

9. buy – in central management guidance inclusive & transparent research & analysis aggressive but achievable accountability institutionalization Case Study: Homer, AK Photo credit: REUTERS/Lou Dematteis Risk assessment approach: • Used reliable science, then extrapolated • Conducted by local task force • Moved forward with a reasonable amount of uncertainty

10. buy – in central management guidance inclusive & transparent research & analysis aggressive but achievable accountability institutionalization Case Study: Miami-Dade County, FL Photo credit: Justin Falango; Transit Miami.com Risk assessment approach: • Sought unity on climate data • Started with biggest impacts (sea level rise) • Leveraged regional partnership

11. buy – in central management guidance inclusive & transparent research & analysis aggressive but achievable accountability institutionalization Case Study: Chicago /www.treehugger.com/files/2008/02/ecocities_gary.php Risk assessment approach: • Used reliable science, then extrapolated • Analyzed risk of not adapting • Prioritized adaptation efforts • Cross-departmental participation

12. Questions? Credit: Joel Pett; USA Today Michael Davidson, Midwest Regional Director michael.davidson@iclei.org 312-848-3041