Key Points
Policymakers in many urban areas have begun to define
the role of climate change adaptation within a broad
climate change policy. Boston, Toronto, and London
are among the leaders in this type of planning.
Types of Adaptation Research and Policy
Policymakers and public agencies in many urban areas
have begun to expand their agendas to include adaptation
to climate change and to define its role within a
broad climate change policy. Most climate-related
policymaking to date has focused on mitigation strategies,
such as emissions reductions. As climate adaptation
attracts attention, an increasing number of governmental
agencies are allocating resources (both capital and
human resources) to review adaptation options.
Much of this current activity focuses on general
assessment research and risk estimation. Research
is an important initial phase of such policy
development.
The major focus of adaptation policy so far is on accurate predictions of climate
change. Future climate impacts must be estimated before it is possible to plan
adaptation responses.
Governments at all levels (national, state, county,
metropolitan, city) have begun fostering research
on climate change adaptation for urban areas.
This research
deals with a range of adaptation topics including potential impacts and possible
adaptations, but most frequently on issues associated with human health, water
management, and protection of the physical environment. While some governments
have formed their own task forces, like Miami-Dade County, most public agencies
have not undertaken research on their own. Instead, agencies usually partner
with and/or support universities, research institutes, and other private organizations
to conduct climate impact studies and assessments.
Examples of Adaptation Research
The United Kingdom has been a leader with respect to
developing the science of assessing climate change
impacts. A number of regional studies have already
been undertaken. The ASCCUE Project
(Adaptation Strategies for Climate Change in the Urban
Environment) is conducting research in Manchester,
England, on the integrity of structures
and the vulnerability of communities in flood-prone
areas. The project is funded by the UK government
through the UK Engineering and Physical
Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the UK Climate
Impacts Programme. In Canada, government support
through Environment Canada
and the city of Toronto, among others, has produced
an independent climate impacts-and-options report
on human health in the Toronto area. California’s
Department of Water Resources is presently drafting
its Water Plan, which includes assessment and research on climate effects
on the water infrastructure
of the state’s urban areas. The CLIMB (Climate’s Long-Term
Impacts on Metro Boston) Project is an ongoing, comprehensive
study supported by the Boston Metropolitan Area Planning
Council, involving research
at two universities on a range of potential climate
impacts on the city.
Finally, the London Climate Change Partnership,
with connection to a wide group of organizations led by the Greater
London Authority,
has produced a study focused on metropolitan London.
The study involves a detailed assessment of the potential climate
change impacts on this major
urban area which is equivalent in size and complexity
to the New York metropolitan region. The London Climate Change
Partnership is a group of private, voluntary
and public organizations, including national, regional
and local government and agencies.
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