Results from Participatory Hazard Mitigation and Climate Change Adaptation Planning Workshops in Boston, Massachusetts

Results from Participatory Hazard Mitigation and Climate Change Adaptation Planning Workshops in Boston, Massachusetts PDF Author: Thomas Nathan Webler
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Climatic changes
Languages : en
Pages : 15

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Book Description
To better understand and mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events city officials in Boston began updating the City's hazard mitigation plan (HMP) in 2010. Hazard mitigation plans are typically revised every 5 years. Normally the HMP is based on past events and trends to forecast future impacts. But the City decided it was important to consider projected increases in the severity of storms, sea level rise, and heat due to global climate change. From January through May 2012, the Social and Environmental Research Institute (SERI), with funding from MIT Sea Grant, facilitated five meetings to discuss the implications of climate change for weather-related hazards in Boston. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) encourages regional planning methodology and awarded the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) a planning grant to update the City's HMP, which is part of a seven inner core city effort. The Office of Emergency Management coordinated the inter-governmental stakeholder collaboration and organized the meetings. Multiple stakeholders, including city and state officials, representatives from non-profits, major institutions, non-governmental organizations and others participated in these meetings. The meetings combined reviews of climate models and data for the region with discussion of local expertise on flooding, winter storm and extreme heat impacts to commerce, vulnerable populations, coastal infrastructure and the City in general.

Results from Participatory Hazard Mitigation and Climate Change Adaptation Planning Workshops in Boston, Massachusetts

Results from Participatory Hazard Mitigation and Climate Change Adaptation Planning Workshops in Boston, Massachusetts PDF Author: Thomas Nathan Webler
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Climatic changes
Languages : en
Pages : 15

Get Book Here

Book Description
To better understand and mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events city officials in Boston began updating the City's hazard mitigation plan (HMP) in 2010. Hazard mitigation plans are typically revised every 5 years. Normally the HMP is based on past events and trends to forecast future impacts. But the City decided it was important to consider projected increases in the severity of storms, sea level rise, and heat due to global climate change. From January through May 2012, the Social and Environmental Research Institute (SERI), with funding from MIT Sea Grant, facilitated five meetings to discuss the implications of climate change for weather-related hazards in Boston. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) encourages regional planning methodology and awarded the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) a planning grant to update the City's HMP, which is part of a seven inner core city effort. The Office of Emergency Management coordinated the inter-governmental stakeholder collaboration and organized the meetings. Multiple stakeholders, including city and state officials, representatives from non-profits, major institutions, non-governmental organizations and others participated in these meetings. The meetings combined reviews of climate models and data for the region with discussion of local expertise on flooding, winter storm and extreme heat impacts to commerce, vulnerable populations, coastal infrastructure and the City in general.

Do We Have a Climate for Change? Insights about Adaptation Planning Actions in Coastal New England

Do We Have a Climate for Change? Insights about Adaptation Planning Actions in Coastal New England PDF Author: Mrs. Ana M. Emlinger
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
"I just drink more coffee and stay late" - declared the town planner of a small coastal community in the South of Boston, Massachusetts (MA) referring to the need of extra work to address climate change adaptation in a short-staffed planning department. These words illustrate one of the many common issues faced by planners of small and medium coastal communities in the region. A systematic incorporation of climate change concerns into formal community planning, management, and infrastructure design is in nascent stage. The challenges of effective adaptation are complex and likely to be politically hard, especially at the local level where the impact of climate change is most likely to be experienced and administered. Climate science is providing an increasingly sophisticated picture of possible climate alteration in future decades, and for coastal zones in particular, the potential consequences are a cause for mounting concern. The role of planners comes to a new level of importance because they urge to develop creative and innovative responses to adapt the built environment to these challenges. Efforts are needed to guide proactive adaptation actions that benefit coastal communities for present and future generations. Overall, there is a pressing need to move beyond vulnerability analysis and into implementation of adaptation action. In the real world, however, planners of small coastal communities are often times alone in their innumerable professional daily struggles and issues related to climate change are frequently placed in the bottom of their list of priorities. One of the goals of the present research is to examine the status of climate adaptation planning at the local level in the coastal New England. The research also aims to investigate what are the preferred climate actions taken by these municipalities, the main forces behind the challenges faced by planners and city officials trying to deal with these issues and what they need to move forward in the adaptation planning. The results of this study showed many similarities among these coastal communities in NE. Barriers repeatedly found in the literature such as lack of financial support, staff dedicated to this matter, political support and information were confirmed with high rates in all states. However, despite the challenges encountered, 36 communities were able to break the barriers and advance in the adaptation planning process. The data collection for this study was divided in two phases: Phase 1 - In-person semi-structured interviews with planners in the coastal Massachusetts (conducted in 2011; n=15); Phase 2: Web-survey with city officials, mostly planners, of small and mid-sized coastal communities in New England, particularly the states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut (Fall 2015, n=121). I focused on coastal areas, as these seemed the most likely to have begun considering climate change due to publicity about sea level rise and existing climate vulnerability. This study brings a range of benefits to Massachusetts' smaller coastal towns and cities, as well as to the broader region of New England. First, it generates empirically-based findings on what communities are doing to become better adapted to future climate, and why. This leads to improvements in our ability to advise communities on how to move ahead on this important topic based on their particular situation. These coastal communities constitute a system, like a string of intrinsically interconnected parts. These parts are not impacted alone by the challenges associated with climate change. For this reason the risks to which these communities are subject should be addressed collectively. Perhaps, this knowledge will be an important step to collaborate in the meeting of joint solutions for the region.

Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation

Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation PDF Author: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107025060
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 593

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Book Description
Extreme weather and climate events, interacting with exposed and vulnerable human and natural systems, can lead to disasters. This Special Report explores the social as well as physical dimensions of weather- and climate-related disasters, considering opportunities for managing risks at local to international scales. SREX was approved and accepted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on 18 November 2011 in Kampala, Uganda.

Building Community Resilience to Climate Change with Facilitated, Collaborative Dialogue

Building Community Resilience to Climate Change with Facilitated, Collaborative Dialogue PDF Author: Zoë Louise McAlear
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 96

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Book Description
As communities around the world experience greater impacts from climate change, collaborative adaptation planning efforts are crucial to preparing for the future. This research examines one of these efforts, a pilot of the Vulnerability, Consequences, and Adaptation Planning Scenarios (VCAPS) technique by Western Water Assessment (WWA) at the University of Colorado Boulder across six communities in Colorado and Utah. The VCAPS process facilitates conversations amongst local decision-makers using collaboratively-built causal diagrams to understand how a hazard leads to specific outcomes and consequences, which correspond to potential points of intervention or actions. Using a survey and two series of interviews with participants, as well as documentation from the workshops, this research assists in the evaluation of WWA’s six pilots. The questions guiding this research ask to what extent the VCAPS process better prepared the pilot communities to face their identified climate hazard(s), in terms of increased motivation, ability to overcome challenges or barriers to adaptation, and actions generated or influenced by the workshop. I find that these six pilot workshops demonstrate the potential of the VCAPS process to inform participants’ understanding of their region’s climate change risks and generate climate adaptation-related actions in their communities. At the same time, feedback and reflections from participants suggest various ways in which the process might be adapted for future iterations in order to respond to current challenges or limitations. I propose recommendations to address these, often relying on examples of other collaborative climate adaptation processes.

Planning for Community-based Disaster Resilience Worldwide

Planning for Community-based Disaster Resilience Worldwide PDF Author: Adenrele Awotona
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1317080149
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 493

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Book Description
We are witnessing an ever-increasing level and intensity of disasters from Ecuador to Ethiopia and beyond, devastating millions of ordinary lives and causing long-term misery for vulnerable populations. Bringing together 26 case studies from six continents, this volume provides a unique resource that discusses, in considerable depth, the multifaceted matrix of natural and human-made disasters. It examines their bearing on the loss of human and productive capital; the conduct of national policies and the setting of national development priorities; and on the nature of international aid and bilateral assistance strategies and programs of donor countries. In order to ensure the efficacy and appropriateness of their support for disaster survivors, international agencies, humanitarian and disaster relief organizations, scholars, non-governmental organizations, and members of the global emergency management community need to have insight into best practices and lessons learned from various disasters across national and cultural boundaries. The evidence obtained from the numerous case studies in this volume serves to build a worldwide community that is better informed about the cultural and traditional contexts of such disasters and better enabled to prepare for, respond to, and finally rebuild sustainable communities after disasters in different environments. The main themes of the case studies include: • the need for community planning and emergency management to unite in order to achieve the mutual aim of creating a sustainable disaster-resilient community, coupled with the necessity to enact and implement appropriate laws, policies, and development regulations for disaster risk reduction; • the need to develop a clear set of urban planning and urban design principles for improving the built environment’s capacities for disaster risk management through the integration of disaster risk reduction education into the curricula of colleges and universities; • the need to engage the whole community to build inclusive governance structures as prerequisites for addressing climate change vulnerability and fostering resilience and sustainability. Furthermore, the case studies explore the need to link the existence and value of scientific knowledge accumulated in various countries with decision-making in disaster risk management; and the relevance and transferability from one cultural context to another of the lessons learned in building institutional frameworks for whole community partnerships.

New England Climate Adaptation Project

New England Climate Adaptation Project PDF Author: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Science Impact Collaborative
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Climate change mitigation
Languages : en
Pages : 63

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Book Description


Imagine Boston 2030

Imagine Boston 2030 PDF Author: City Of Boston
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781389647642
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Today, Boston is in a uniquely powerful position to make our city more affordable, equitable, connected, and resilient. We will seize this moment to guide our growth to support our dynamic economy, connect more residents to opportunity, create vibrant neighborhoods, and continue our legacy as a thriving waterfront city.Mayor Martin J. Walsh's Imagine Boston 2030 is the first citywide plan in more than 50 years. This vision was shaped by more than 15,000 Boston voices.

The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate

The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate PDF Author: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9781009157971
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 755

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Book Description
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body for assessing the science related to climate change. It provides policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of human-induced climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation. This IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate is the most comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the observed and projected changes to the ocean and cryosphere and their associated impacts and risks, with a focus on resilience, risk management response options, and adaptation measures, considering both their potential and limitations. It brings together knowledge on physical and biogeochemical changes, the interplay with ecosystem changes, and the implications for human communities. It serves policymakers, decision makers, stakeholders, and all interested parties with unbiased, up-to-date, policy-relevant information. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Simulation and Gaming for Social Impact

Simulation and Gaming for Social Impact PDF Author: Casper Harteveld
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031371712
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
This book constitutes revised selected papers from the 53rd International Simulation and Gaming Association Conference, ISAGA 2022, which took place in Boston, USA, during July 11–14, 2022. The 15 full papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 35 submissions. They were organized in topical sections named: education and training; resilience and sustainability; health; and social justice.

Building Resilience to Climate Change

Building Resilience to Climate Change PDF Author: Angela Andrade Pérez
Publisher: IUCN
ISBN: 2831712904
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 85

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Book Description
With climate change now a certainty, the question is how much change there will be and what can be done about it. One of the answers is through adaptation. Many of the lessons that are being learned in adaptation are from success stories from the field. This publication contains eleven case studies covering different ecosystems and regions around the world. Its aim is to summarize some current applications of the Ecosystem-Based Adaptation concept and its tools used around the world, and also draw lessons from experiences in conservation adaptation.