Managing Climate Risks in Coastal Communities: Strategies for Engagement, Readiness and Adaptation(1 Anthem Environment and Sustainability Initiative)

Drawing on research from the New England Climate Adaptation Project, this book introduces a framework for building local capacity to respond to climate change. It argues that most of the responsibility for responding to climate risks must be taken by local (not state or national) stakeholders. The authors maintain that local climate adaptation efforts require collective rather than individual commitments to risk management. However, while collective action is called for, many communities are not ready to take on the challenge, and need enhanced capacity to support climate adaptation planning. To this end, the book offers statistical assessments of a particular strategy - using tailored role-play simulations as part of a broader engagement approach - to enhance the readiness of the local population to deal with climate change risks. It also introduces methods for forecasting local climate change risks as well as for evaluating the social and political context in which collective action must take place.

Table of Contents:
Figures and Tables; Acknowledgments; Abbreviations; PART I. 1. Helping Coastal Communities Prepare for and Respond to Climate Change-Related Risks; 2. Assessing the Social Landscape, Understanding the Readiness Challenge; 3. Why Public Engagement is Necessary to Enhance Local Readiness for Climate Adaptation; 4. NECAP Summary Risk Assessments - Creating Usable Knowledge to Help Communities Manage Climate Change Risks; 5. Enhancing Readiness to Adapt through Role-play Simulations; 6. Reflecting on the New England Climate Adaptation Project - Lessons Learned; 7. Toward a Theory of Collective Risk Management; Appendix 1. Risk Assessment Projection: Barnstable; Appendix 2. Risk Assessment Projection: Cranston; Appendix 3. Risk Assessment Projection: Dover; Appendix 4. Risk Assessment Projection: Wells; Appendix 5. Workshop Pre-Questionnaires; Appendix 6. Workshop Post-Questionnaires; Appendix 7. Data Appendix: Workshop Survey and Public Poll Tables; PART II. Introduction: Part II Overview; Stakeholder Assessment: Dover, New Hampshire; Summary Risk Assessment: Barnstable, Massachusetts; Role-play Simulation: Wells, Maine; Case Study: Cranston, Rhode Island; Public Poll Report: Wells, Maine; About the Authors; New England Climate Adaptation Project Partners; Index

About the Author :
Lawrence Susskind is Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at MIT, and the Founder and Chief Knowledge Officer of the Consensus Building Institute. Danya Rumore is a PhD candidate in Environmental Policy and Planning in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT, Assistant Director of the MIT Science Impact Collaborative, and an Associate at the Consensus Building Institute. Carri Hulet is a Senior Associate with the Consensus Building Institute, where she provides mediation and training services on water quality, transportation, climate change and other resource management issues. Patrick Field is Managing Director of the Consensus Building Institute and Associate Director of the MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program.

Review :
“The timing couldn’t be more pertinent as coastal communities around the globe increasingly experience the consequences of a changing climate. This book hones in on one of the biggest barriers inhibiting towns and cities from investing in actions that build overall climate resilience: collective risk management.” —Anna Brown, Senior Associate Director, Rockefeller Foundation “This eye-opening book from preeminent researchers and practitioners shows how risk assessments and role playing among key local stakeholders can engage and persuade. It offers hope and guidance to policy makers and citizens who want to act before it is too late.” —Judith Innes, Professor Emerita, University of California, Berkeley “Cutting through the debates that polarize national governments on the issue of climate change, the authors offer keen insights into how local communities might engage the public to wrestle with the inevitable tradeoffs and chart a course toward resiliency.” —David Mathews, President, Kettering Foundation