Helping Communites Adapt to Climate Change
Even if society stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, the impacts of past and current emissions would be felt for decades. That’s why the Georgetown Climate Center is working with state and local policymakers to plan for flooding in coastal communities, to address water shortages in already dry regions of the country, and to offset the public health dangers related to climate change.
The Georgetown Climate Center provides states and local governments with best-practice models, legal analysis, policy work, and legislative tracking, and seeks to maximize the federal, state, regional, and local collaborations that are needed to implement new approaches to adaptation. more ↓
As part of Georgetown Law, the Center is able to leverage a broad range of resources to assist policymakers. In 2009, the Center investigated two particular effects of climate change: excessive heat events and the spread of hazardous waste due to coastal flooding. We also expanded our sector-specific expertise to include coastal and sea-level rise adaptation, and we forged a key partnership with the Harrison Institute to provide state and localities with even greater adaptation expertise.
In 2010, the Center will launch a web-based clearinghouse of the most useful adaptation resources and tools for policy makers, including scientific and mapping tools, sample state and local adaptation plans, relevant literature on policy options, and case studies from other jurisdictions.
Learn more about the Center’s law and policy work on adaptation.
News and Updates
Western Governors Association Releases New Adaptation Report
Posted June 29, 2010The report, completed with assistance from the Georgetown Climate Center and other partners, contains important recommendations for developing resilience in the face of the challenges posed by a changing climate.
Given issues like water shortages that are already affecting much of the West, Governors recognized the need for collaboration in 2009 when the WGA charged a work group to develop the report and committed to adopting policies that support the integration of adaptation science throughout the region.
The 2009 resolution, “Supporting the Integration of Climate Change Adaptation Science in the West”, also identified three specific goals for further discussion, which will continue as the group moves forward:
- Foster coordination on adaptation activities, particularly between state and federal efforts
- Identify key science needs for Western states
- Begin to share smart practices among the states
Click here to download the full report.
How Local Governments Can Manage Increased Flood Risks from Sea-Level Rise
Posted May 4, 2010Georgetown Climate Center and its partner, the Harrison Institute for Public Policy Law, seek to address some of the most common and controversial legal questions raised by state and local adaptation efforts in a newly released case study of Virginia - “Stemming the Tide: How Local Governments Can Manage Rising Flood Risks.”
The case study was conducted to help Virginia’s local governments understand the relevant authorities and how they can use existing land use powers to begin to tackle rising sea levels. Due to a combination of global warming-induced sea level rise and subsidence, the ocean is projected to rise 2.3 to 5.2 feet along Virginia’s coasts by 2100.
The study addresses a number of key questions for local governments moving forward, including whether they can change land use practices to account for sea level rise. It also explores some of the available policy tools, including setbacks, transfer development rights, tax incentives and rolling easements.
Click here to read the case study and here for the presentation slides that go with the report.
Obama Administration Official Discusses Adaptation Policy with GCC
Posted March 26, 2010
Watch Maria Blair of CEQ discuss adaptation policy with the GCC.Maria Blair, deputy director for climate change adaptation with the White House Council on Environmental Quality, recently discussed the progress of the Administration on adaptation policy and the work of the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force.
Blair's comments came during the March 26 event, "Adapting to Climate Change: Problems and Solutions," which was co-hosted by the Georgetown Climate Center, the Georgetown International Environmental Law Review, and the Environmental Law Institute.
An interim progress report on the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force was released by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on March 17. The report outlines the Task Force’s progress to date and recommends key components to include in a national strategy on climate change adaptation.
Comparison of Adaptation Provisions in Existing House and Senate Bills
Posted November 25, 2009The Georgetown Climate Center has identified key differences between adaptation provisions in the House and Senate climate bills. Additional analysis will be done following the introduction of the compromise bill being drafted by Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
View the complete side-by-side comparison of adaptation provisions in the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (S.1733) and the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R.2454).
What Localities Are Doing to Prepare for the Public Health Impacts of Climate Change
Posted Nov. 9, 2009In a recent presentation, Sara Hoverter with the Harrison Institute for Public Law, a Georgetown Law partner of the GCC, outlines the public health impacts of climate change and what states and localities are doing to prepare and implement adaptation plans.
Click here to download the presentation.
An Overview of Adaptation Bills By Sector and State Impact
Updated April 12, 2010As of February 2010, the 111th Congress had introduced more than 40 bills addressing adaptation, including 35 that are focused on domestic adaptation and 26 that specifically mention U.S. states.
Click here to view the adaptation bills by sector and state impact.
