The State of Climate Change Adaptation in the Great Lakes Region
- Abstract
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time. It is a global problem that threatens the success and longevity of conservation and management actions. Strategies undertaken to address the causes and effects of global climate change are classified as either mitigation or adaptation. Mitigation strategies help reduce the rate and extent of change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions or enhancing carbon uptake and sequestration. Adaptation strategies help people prepare for the unavoidable effects of climate change, either by minimizing negative impacts or exploiting potential opportunities. Adaptation, along with mitigation, is a critical component of any climate change response strategy. The field of climate change adaptation is in a period of critical transition. The general concepts of adaptation have been well developed over the past decade. Now, practitioners must move from generalities to concrete actions, including implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. EcoAdapt strives to facilitate this transition by providing relevant adaptation examples and a forum for knowledge sharing. The purpose of EcoAdapt’s State of Adaptation Program is to promote adaptation action by (1) providing real-life, practical adaptation case studies to catalyze creative thinking, and (2) synthesizing information collected through interviews and surveys to further develop the field of study and action. We use the information collected to create synthesis reports, such as this one, and share the case studies and other resources through the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE; www.cakex.org), a website that supports open access information exchange between practitioners. CAKE includes case studies, a library, a community forum, a directory of individuals and organizations interested and/or engaged in adaptation, and a tools section of resources for adaptation action.
- Resource Type
- Report
- Authors
- Rachel Gregg Kirsten Feifel Jessi Kershner
- Date
- 2012
- Institution
- EcoAdapt
- Organization Type
- Ngo
- Climate and Environmental Impact
- Water
- Solution
- Climate adaptation/resilience
- Region
- Midwest