Adaptation and Resilience
Buildings and Infrastructure
Climate Change

Bridging the Gap Between Science and Decision-Making

Briefing Series: Climate Adaptation Data Week

April 16, 2020

Climate Adaptation Data Week
April 13 Localizing Sea Level Rise Projections for Decision-Makers
April 14 Assessing National Park Asset Flood Risk: Retreat, Adapt, Fortify?
April 15 Cultural Heritage and Climate Change
April 16 Bridging the Gap Between Science and Decision-Making
April 17 Weather and Social Data to Inform Participatory Planning Initiatives

Climate Adaptation Data Week Overview

The University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group (CIG) has proven to be a leader in climate adaptation science and application through three focus areas: conducting research, creating tools, and connecting those resources to at-risk communities. Dr. Amy Snover, Director of the Climate Impacts Group and the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center at the University of Washington, discussed CIG’s cutting-edge programs and methodology for facilitating climate resilience in the American northwest.

 

 

HIGHLIGHTS

Dr. Amy Snover, Director, Climate Impacts Group and Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center at the University of Washington

Download briefing transcript
  • The Climate Impacts Group (CIG) is an integrated research and engagement team at the University of Washington that builds climate resilience by advancing awareness of climate risks and enabling science-based action to manage those risks.
  • The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) is one of eight regional centers. The CASC system is formed by joint federal and university partnerships that produce relevant and accessible information on climate impacts and adaptation.
  • Focusing on resilience and adaptation is important because people make decisions and investments every day that will either exacerbate or ameliorate the impacts of climate change.
  • The CIG engages with a variety of stakeholders using a set of common approaches:
    • Educating key actors about climate risks and response options.
    • Enabling the use of climate science in risk assessment and management.
    • Embedding scientists in management contexts and science in management processes.
  • The CIG worked with a range of partners on the Washington Coastal Resilience Project to increase Washington state’s capacity to respond to climate hazards. One product of this project was a Sea Level Rise Planning Toolkit.
    • The 2018 report, Projected Sea Level Rise for Washington State, improved on shortcomings in previous data. The report included four key innovations: new science on polar ice sheet melting, highly localized sea level rise projections, probabilistic projections, and long-term projections through 2150.
    • The Sea Level Rise Data Visualization Tool can be used to display the likelihood of any amount of sea level rise by location as well as predictions for when an area might experience a specific amount of sea level rise with various degrees of confidence.
    • The CIG provided technical advice to communities on how to choose scenarios to plan for, how to map projected impacts, and how to use data in ecosystem restoration projects. Partners like Tacoma Metro Parks have already incorporated tools from the project into their planning processes, redesigning existing plans based on future shoreline levels.
  • In response to a 2015 survey by the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians that found significant disparities in tribes’ capacity to respond to climate change, the CIG partnered with a tribal advisory board to assess vulnerability, design responses, and share best practices.
    • The CIG expanded the amount of tribally-relevant climate data to include diverse impacts across reservations, watersheds, counties, traditional territories, and ceded lands.
    • Input from 84 tribes was used to develop an online Tribal Climate Tool that displays information on climate impacts for geographies of interest in map, graphic, and text formats. User testing and feedback was used to revise the tool throughout its development.
    • The Tribal Climate Technical Support Desk is a resource to support tribes in using information generated by the CIG. Providing sustained support is an important part of building and maintaining resilience.
  • The federal government and regional boundary organizations like CIG and CASC play key roles in building resilience. The federal government should motivate and prepare communities to enable increasingly sophisticated climate-based decision making. Regional boundary organizations serve to leverage federal resources and programs for local benefit.

 

Q&A Session

 

Could you elaborate on resilience actions being taken by tribes with CIG assistance?

Tribes have different levels of engagement with climate change. One tribe began a detailed vulnerability assessment using our guidebook for local governments in the mid-2000s, and followed up with an adaptation plan. Since then, they have been working on projects like relocating infrastructure and developing community health programs that consider the impact of climate change. Another inland tribe has developed a set of materials, including brochures and activities for students, to think about the impacts of climate change on species that they rely on.

 

One issue with the planning process is communicating risk and science to decision makers. How does the CIG overcome these barriers and get information to people that need it?

We work on being clear to ourselves and our partners about what we know with certainty, and what we’re not sure about. If we’re clear about what we know well and what we don’t know well, we can help people plan with certainty for certain risks and with flexibility for risks where multiple future scenarios might happen.

 

Do you work with any Canadian partners, and are there any ongoing partnerships to build climate resilience to benefit the United States and Canada?

We define regions based on the problems we’re working on, not lines on a map. Our work began with a focus on climate impacts on water in the Columbia River Basin, and there is no way to study a watershed like that without looking across the border. We also have partnerships with the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium in British Columbia, and have worked on a project looking at trans-boundary wildlife habitat connectivity.

 

How do you evaluate the effectiveness of the tools and services you provide?

We work on being clear up front with what a tool or resource is trying to achieve, and evaluate a tool based on whether it is being used and able to achieve that purpose. We also use testing and feedback from people using the tool as it is being developed.

 

How do regional CASCs work together, and what are the top things policymakers should know about what these centers do?

There are eight regional CASCs and a national office. The power of the system is that each center has deep roots and connections with people in that region. Climate change impacts and research are different from region to region, and local partnerships are a necessity. Centers collaborate with each other to share approaches and best practices. For policymakers, the most important things to know are that CASCs are your ears to the ground, and are the ones who are seeing the need for resources. There are people at all levels asking for information, projections, and technical advice, and there is more demand than we can meet.

 

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