| Adaptation Science |
 |
 |
|
Overview Global change poses significant social, economic, and environmental risks to the United States and the world. As documented in the 2009 U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) National Climate Assessment report, Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States, and the National Research Council’s report series on America’s Climate Choices, communities across the Nation are already experiencing a range of global changes, including more frequent and extreme precipitation events, longer wildfire seasons, reduced snowpack, extreme heat events, increasing ocean temperatures, and rising sea levels. The impacts from these changes are affecting livelihoods, infrastructure, ecosystems, food production, energy supply, national security, and the cultural heritage of populations and communities. Certain communities and ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to these impacts and recognize that minimizing the risks posed by global change through adaptation is crucial to ensure a safer, more resilient and prosperous future. Adaptation is considered the adjustment in natural or human systems to a new or changing environment that exploits beneficial opportunities or moderates negative effects.
There currently exists limited knowledge about the ability of communities, regions, and sectors to adapt to a changing climate. To address this shortfall, research on climate change impacts and adaptation must also include complex human dimensions, such as economics, management, governance, behavior, and equity. Interdisciplinary research on adaptation that takes into account the interconnectedness of the Earth system and the complex nature of the social, political, and economic environment in which adaptation decisions must be made is central to this effort.
USGCRP’s Adaptation Science Workgroup In 2009, the Obama Administration convened the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force (ICCATF), co-chaired by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and NOAA, along with representatives from more than 20 Federal agencies. Following the establishment of the ICCATF, President Obama signed Executive Order 13514, “Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance,” in October 2009, directing the ICCATF to recommend how the Federal Government can strengthen policies and programs to better prepare the nation to adapt to the impacts of climate change. The ICCATF activities initially included multiple Workgroups, including Adaptation Science, which was initiated in Fall 2009 under CEQ. In Summer 2010, the Adaptation Science Workgroup was transferred to USGCRP as a new program in order to improve the Federal Government’s capacity to provide science in support of adaptation decisions at all scales.
Current and Future Activities Currently, the USGCRP’s Adaptation Science Workgroup is leading the following efforts to advance science to inform adaptation decisions:
USGCRP’s Adaptation Science Workgroup is continually looking forward to address societal needs in the context of adaptation decisions. Over the next few years, the Workgroup will focus on advancing foundational science for adaptation decisions, coordinating regional science, tools, and services in support of adaptation, and identifying collaborative frameworks for adaptation research and management. For further information on USGCRP's Adaptation Science efforts, please contact Emily Wasley.
|
The impacts of climate change on the U.S. are expected continue into the future. By the end of this century, global sea level is projected to rise by more than 2 feet in a low emissions scenario or by nearly 3.5 feet in a higher emissions scenario. Higher sea levels, especially in combination with storm surge, will increasingly inundate U.S. coastal communities and threaten coastal ecosystems and infrastructure. Heat waves are expected to become more frequent and intense, posing a threat to human health and agriculture. For rivers fed by snowpack, runoff will continue to occur earlier, with reduced flows late in the summer, and the potential for water shortages that can affect the supply of water for drinking, agriculture, electricity production, and ecosystems. Economic, social, and natural systems are also interconnected on a global scale, meaning that climate impacts in other regions of the world can pose serious economic and security risks to the United States. Increases in extreme weather and climate events will contribute to food and water scarcity, which can intensify existing tensions over access to life-sustaining resources. For more detailed information, visit: 
The Need for Science to Inform Adaptation Decisions
The mission of the Adaptation Science program element at the USGCRP is to ensure that the Federal government’s science enterprise informs adaptation decisions at a range of scales for a diversity of users. Successful adaptation to climate change will require sustained, ongoing dialogue, mutual information exchange, and feedback between scientists, decision-makers, and information users throughout the research and implementation processes. Science in support of adaptation requires collaborative studies bridging across scientific disciplines (e.g. physical, biological, social, and economic sciences) and the integration of observations, monitoring, research, and modeling Adaptation science includes foundational research on decision-making processes in the face of risk, uncertainty, conflict, and complexity. Effective adaptation also depends on improved fundamental knowledge of climate science, impacts, and processes, and the needs of stakeholders can inform research priorities in these areas. Science in support of adaptation is most beneficial when translated and communicated through user-friendly formats that the adaptation practitioner community can access. The USGCRP promotes partnerships and enables sustained dialogue and interaction among stakeholders that are working with local, state, tribal, and regional entities, non-profit organizations, private industry, and academia on climate and global change adaptation efforts. This sustained dialogue allows for engagement with information uses in an effort to understand and address their needs. 
