Perceptions of climate vulnerability for subsistence inland fisheries in the United States

Community engagement in climate action and adaptation planning is an essential prerequisite for overcoming existing and projected environmental injustices associated with the negative impacts of climate change. The diversity and inclusion of stakeholders are crucial for addressing equity in both the development and implementation of local climate plans. Our study attempts to evaluate and compare consideration of equity in climate action and climate adaptation plans of Michigan cities and its association with the diversity of stakeholders involved in the planning process. Data analysis is based on the content of eight municipal climate action and/or climate adaptation plans, related documents, and interviews with city planners along with community activists. Data derived from the climate action and adaptation plans were also compared to the strategies outlined in the Tribal Climate Adaptation Menu, which integrates climate science and indigenous knowledge. The study concludes that municipalities that engage more diverse groups of stakeholders appear to be more attentive to social equity and more likely to offer specific climate action and adaptation measures focusing on vulnerable groups. The integration of indigenous knowledge could provide valuable insights for municipalities through collaboration with tribal communities and climate adaptation experts.

Equity and inclusion considerations are important prerequisites of effective climate adaptation planning, especially at a local scale. This study examines how climate adaptation plans of small American cities and counties consider equity in their climate vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning goals and how consideration of equity in existing adaptation plans relates to the inclusion of diverse categories of stakeholders. Data analysis is based on the content of 23 local climate adaptation plans of small urban and rural municipalities across the United States with populations of less than 300 thousand people. Correlations between conceptualization of vulnerability dimensions, inclusion of 9 categories of stakeholders, and consideration of equity in 12 different domains of climate adaptation planning are examined. The study concludes that municipalities that engage more diverse groups of stakeholders and examine the sensitivity and adaptive capacity of their populations appear to be more attentive to social equity and more likely to offer specific climate adaptation measures focusing on vulnerable groups.

Subaltern forms of knowledge are required to boost local adaptation

Climate adaptation research priorities and funding: a review of US federal departments’ climate action plans

This research article provides a law and policy summary of climate change adaptation initiatives in Canada at the ocean-climate nexus. Three levels of governance are examined (national, provincial, and Indigenous) with a focus on the Atlantic region. The research method was the review of relevant and newly amended laws, regulations and policy statements, and related commentaries. The roles of the federal government are first described with key developments including the launch of a Climate Adaptation Platform in 2012 to share adaptation experiences and information and release of a National Adaptation Strategy and accompanying Adaptation Action Plan in November 2022. Federal adaptation efforts in the areas of fisheries, aquaculture and shipping are also reviewed along with progress in establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures. Provincial adaptation initiatives are next summarized with a focus on the four Atlantic provinces. Those provinces have established a regional hub, CLIMAtlantic, to provide climate information and advance climate-related research and training. Each province has developed a climate action plan which includes climate adaptation priorities. Indigenous-led climate engagement and adaptation initiatives are finally described including the publication in 2019 of a National Inuit Climate Change Strategy, regional initiatives of the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat, and the development of climate adaptation plans by select First Nation communities in the Atlantic region. The paper concludes by discussing future law and policy directions to make Canada more “climate ready.” Adoption of climate adaptation strategies for governmental departments and agencies with ocean and coastal responsibilities should be a priority. Incorporating climate change adaptation responsibilities through legislative and regulatory changes also needs to be considered, for example, by amending Canada’s Oceans Act to recognize the role of oceans in climate adaptations and mitigation, to authorize the designation of MPAs as climate refuges and to require adaptive and dynamic MPA management plans through strict monitoring and timely review provisions. Indigenous peoples must be effectively included in all climate adaptation discussions and planning.

Problem, research strategy, and findings Although theory and practice contend that local knowledge improves climate adaptation planning, little research has documented the kinds of information shared by residents. Planners can use this information to assist in the creation of planning processes and tools, as well as investigate how local knowledge contributes—or does not contribute—to planning outcomes. We developed a provisional typology of how local knowledge has been used for adaptation planning and used a case study to ask: When compared with existing research, what information do residents share? How might this knowledge be useful for climate adaptation? In interviews, residents identified new ideas about local knowledge and climate adaptation planning: cascading harms and repeated trauma from—and mental health implications related to—climate events, lack of trust in municipalities, and how community capacity increases climate adaptation. Although these themes support existing research, to our knowledge, these findings are the first empirical data from studies focused on local knowledge in which frontline residents themselves identified the need for increased attention to mental health, community capacity, and trust building. Our findings contribute to larger conversations about climate adaptation planning as well as help inform the development of an adaptation tool in Austin (TX). Takeaway for practice We identified three takeaways for climate adaptation planning: increase acknowledgment of and attention to mental health effects, integrate local knowledge about community capacity, and consider incorporating local knowledge to build trust.

This paper reviews the fisheries management question of inland (floodplain) systems in the developing world and proposes a paradigm shift in approach. Inland fisheries management is largely based on classical fisheries formulations derived on temperate freshwater and marine single-stock fisheries. The basic models to manage inland fisheries are based on steady state equilibrium models. However, inland, flood-pulsed fisheries are dynamic and driven by external factors which are incongruent with the classical approach. Therefore, adopting this management approach in inland, flood-pulsed fisheries has created a management conundrum because of the obvious fundamental differences that exist between these two systems. Marine fisheries contribute to the macroeconomic growth of fishing countries, inland fisheries from developing countries are largely focused on recreational activities, while inland (floodplain) fisheries are key sources of food and nutrition security for marginalized riparian communities in the developing world. This review also uses lessons from the Okavango Delta fishery to illustrate the uniqueness of floodplain fisheries and the management questions therein. One key debate highlighted in this review is that inland fisheries are a livelihood of the last resort for poor (and sometimes malnourished) communities. Management should therefore mainstream this value into management interventions, especially since a sustainable utilization of this resource can assist developing countries to achieve some of the MDG’s. The paper concludes with an argument of the need for a paradigm shift in inland fisheries management, where key factors such as enhanced data collection, co-management regimes based on “real” democratic principles constitute some of the germane attributes of fisheries management plans.

With the occurrence of increasingly frequent and severe climate-related events, adapting to the impacts posed by climate change has been a pivotal research topic influencing transport operation, infrastructure, planning and policymaking in recent decades. As most studies on climate change still focus on its short-term impacts, there is insufficient research on how to systematically adapt to the impacts of climate change on transportation, in particular in an integrated inland transport system, e.g., roads and railways. Hence, an assessment of the long-term risks posed by climate change on transportation systems is urgently required. The primary purpose of this thesis is to explore the general picture of how the impacts of climate change can be adapted in the UK transport systems. A quantitative analysis mainly involves an innovative decision aiding tool: the Fuzzy Bayesian Reasoning (FBR) model. This hybrid model is capable of tackling the existing issues in risks assessment, such as unavailability or incompleteness of climate risk data, synthesis of inconsistent risk and costs expressions and challenges in estimation and selection of risk scenarios. The modelling is followed by a nationwide survey among the road and rail stakeholders in the UK, which not only further confirms the feasibility of the FBR model but also illustrates an overall view of current climate adaptation issues. Afterwards, a comparative study through interviewing five domain experts in the UK transport industry is undertaken, which covers four representative cases. It reveals both opportunities and under-reached issues in climate adaptation planning. This research re-emphasises the importance of raising the awareness of the community's consideration of the risks of climate change on transport systems and strives for effective risk analysis and adaptation planning to cope with them. The outcomes from this thesis including the critical literature review, advanced FBR model, empirical multi-mode case studies and comparative analyses, have provided transport stakeholders with a pioneer trail in systematically evaluating climate risks and adaptation strategies in the British transport systems. This work has great potential to be tailored for broader applications, offering workable recommendations and global references for climate adaptation on other transportation systems and regions.

Participatory climate adaptation planning in New York City: Analyzing the role of community-based organizations

Cities across the United States are affected by climate change impacts, and several cities have adopted climate adaptation plans to respond to this growing threat. These plans outline interventions that require a multi-skilled workforce working towards "green" or sustainable goals. However, the "green jobs" linked to these goals are ill-defined and misunderstood among employers and job seekers and can cause gaps in implementing the interventions outlined in the climate adaptation plans. Therefore, it is important to analyze the current state of green jobs in US cities and understand what employers, job seekers, and others think of the green jobs market. We conduct this analysis with the help of natural language processing and qualitative coding in the City of Worcester, Massachusetts, USA using job data from Indeed and semi-structured interviews. We find that the current green job market in Worcester is siloed around green jobs requiring degrees and that non-degree green jobs are significantly less present. Moreover, most green jobs are located far away from Worcester, making them unattractive to job seekers, influencing the overall image of green jobs among job seekers. Finally, both policymakers and employers are unclear about the definition of a "green job" impacting a job seeker's search behaviors. All this points to a vague description of green jobs and green workforce, that can significantly impact Worcester's ability to achieve a climate-ready workforce and to achieve its climate adaptation goals.

There is a growing consensus that to effectively adapt to climate change, cities need user-friendly tools and reliable high-resolution biophysical and socio-economic data for analysis, mapping, modeling, and visualization. This study examines the availability of various types of information used in climate adaptation plans of 40 municipalities with a population of less than 300,000 people in the United States and France, probing into the choice and usage of relevant information by small municipalities. We argue that non-climatic spatial data, such as population demographic and socio-economic patterns, urban infrastructure, and environmental data must be integrated with climate tools and datasets to inform effective vulnerability assessment and equitable adaptation planning goals. Most climate adaptation plans examined in this study fail to address the existing structural inequalities and environmental injustices in urban infrastructure and land use. Their challenges include methodological and ideological barriers, data quality issues, and a lack of meaningful community connections. Adaptation methodological approaches should be reassessed in the context of much-needed societal transformation. Lessons learned from our studies offer valuable insights for the potential development of national and state-level climate adaptation information services for cities.

Inland small-scale fisheries provide important ecosystem services in sub-Saharan Africa as a source of nutritious food to over 200 million people and offer avenues for countries to attain Sustainable Development Goal 2. However, there is a dearth of knowledge on the pathways of fish to food security, especially in the case of inland small-scale fisheries, which are often underrepresented in research and policy discussions. We review the literature from 2010 to the present to assess how fish food systems, specifically those associated with inland small-scale fisheries in sub-Saharan Africa, relate to the four pillars of food security: availability, access, utilization, and stability, as well as women's empowerment. We offer an assessment of the extent to which each of these pillars of food security has been thoroughly conceptualized and investigated in the literature, identifying important avenues for future research. Overfishing, post-harvest losses, and trade influences drive fish availability in many contexts. Income benefits from participating in small-scale fisheries were important for attaining access to fish for food security and other important livelihood outcomes. Few studies addressed utilization and stability compared to availability and access pillars. Further, few studies examined how gender shapes outcomes of women's empowerment. The results lead to the proposed research agenda of focusing on all pillars of food security that can enhance the sustainable contribution of inland small-scale fisheries to food security.

San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District (San Bernardino Valley) is a regional water management and resource agency in southern California, United States of America. San Bernardino Valley prioritizes collaborative approaches to climate adaptation and working with partner agencies and land managers within the watershed to develop innovative strategies to provide sustainable water supply and support the changing needs of our region’s people and environment.   Climate change continues to alter climate conditions in southern California, a Mediterranean climate region. Changes in temperature, aridity, rainfall, and storm patterns present highly variable challenges to San Bernardino Valley’s planning and operations. Water supply reliability will continue to be impacted by changes in availability of local water and water imported into the San Bernardino area from northern California. Extreme weather events such as heat waves, more intense rainfall, and extended droughts are likely to increase in frequency or severity. Climate change also increases our exposure to extreme wildfire and impacts from sea level rise that affects water imported from northern California. These conditions may threaten the durability of taxpayer investments in water projects and the habitat conservation efforts associated with those projects.Over the last three years, San Bernardino Valley staff and Board of Directors worked with partner agencies and a consulting team to evaluate regional climate vulnerabilities and develop a Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (CARP).  The CARP is an adaptive guide designed to strengthen the District’s water reliability and proactively address existing and future climate change impacts. The CARP provides a collaborative adaptive management process that promotes flexibility in the Agency's responses to changes in climate projections and adjustments based on real-world conditions, potentially decades into the future. The CARP outlines an ongoing phased implementation of actions over 20 years that will reduce or minimize risks to San Bernardino Valley's infrastructure, operations, and investments.Development of the CARP included conducting a greenhouse gas emissions inventory, assessing climate risks and vulnerabilities, identifying proposed actions to increase our ability to adapt and be resilient in the face of climate change, and develop a phasing and implementation plan.  The CARP is organized around four Guiding Principles: (1) Maintain a diverse water portfolio, (2) Protect the Water Portfolio, (3) Improve operational and infrastructure resilience, and (4) Connect people to water and climate.  Measures and actions are organized in the CARP through the Guiding Principles, providing a holistic approach to increasing our region’s resilience across its water sources, the ecosystems that its water resources rely on, its infrastructure and operations, and water uses in the communities it serves.San Bernardino Valley is committed to developing new data-driven measures and strategies, leveraging emerging technologies and products, and updating the CARP on an ongoing basis to meaningfully adapt to emerging climate threats and maintain progress towards achieving resilience.  Much like the natural systems within the region, the agencies and communities of our watershed are integrally connected, each contributing unique pieces of the innovative solutions that will support a sustainable and resilient future for our people and our shared environment.

Coastal habitats, such as salt marshes and dune systems, can protect communities from hazards by reducing coastline exposure. However, these critical habitats and their diverse ecosystem services are threatened by coastal development and the impacts from a changing climate. Ever increasing pressure on coastal habitats calls for coastal climate adaptation efforts that mitigate or adapt to these pressures in ways that maintain the integrity of coastal landscapes. An important challenge for decisionmakers is determining the best mitigation and adaptation strategies that not only protect human lives and property, but also safeguard the ability of coastal habitats to provide a broad suite of benefits. Here, we present a potential pathway for local-scale climate change adaptation planning through the identification and mapping of natural habitats that provide the greatest benefits to coastal communities. The methodology coupled a coastal vulnerability model with a climate adaptation policy assessment in an effort to identify priority locations for nature-based solutions that reduce vulnerability of critical assets using feasible land-use policy methods. Our results demonstrate the critical role of natural habitats in providing the ecosystem service of coastal protection in California. We found that specific dune habitats play a key role in reducing erosion and inundation of the coastline and that several wetland areas help to absorb energy from storms and provide a protective service for the coast of Marin county, California, USA. Climate change and adaptation planning are globally relevant issues in which the scalability and transferability of solutions must be considered. This work outlines an iterative approach for climate adaptation planning at a local-scale, with opportunity to consider the scalability of an iterative science-policy engagement approach to regional, national, and international levels.

The way in which people perceive climate change risk is informed by their social interactions and cultural worldviews comprising fundamental beliefs about society and nature. Therefore, perceptions of climate change risk and vulnerability along with people’s “myths of nature”—that is, how groups of people conceptualize the way nature functions—influence the feasibility and acceptability of climate adaptation planning, policy making, and implementation. This study presents analyses of cultural worldviews that broaden the current treatments of culture and climate change mitigation and adaptation decision making in communities. The authors use insights from community-based climate research and engage the Cultural Theory of Risk conceptual framework to situate community understandings of, and responses to, climate impacts. This study looks at how the issue of climate change manifests socially in four cases in the United States and Tuvalu and how ideas about climate change are produced by the institutional cultural contexts across scales from the local to the global. This approach helps us identify local and regional priorities and support the development of new relationships for adaptation research and planning by helping to diagnose barriers to climate change adaptation, assist improved communication through framing/reframing climate issues based on shared understandings and collective learning, and help move from conflict to cooperation through better negotiation of diverse worldviews.