You’re receiving GLISA Connect because you opted in at the GLISA website, or because one of our team members suggested you receive it. Subscribe to stay updated.
Following the release of the  Draft 2013 National Climate Assessment Report, GLISA co-hosted a day-long Midwest Town Hall Meeting. Approximately 50 climate change experts and users of climate information from the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and government, private sector, and nongovernmental organizations met to assess the challenges of climate change in the Midwest and how they linked to the National Climate Assessment (NCA). The NCA is mandated by Congress, and a draft report is now available for comment from the U.S Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). After the draft has been reviewed and edited, the final NCA report should be submitted to President Obama in early 2014. The report will include current knowledge regarding climate conditions, historical trends, and anticipated effects of continued climate change. At the event, authors provided an overview of the NCA
history and development process, highlighted key findings and
recommendations from various chapters, and discussed the goals of
ongoing assessment. The USGRCP is establishing a network of researchers and users of climate information to guide an ongoing assessment (rather than one-off report every 4 years) of impacts and adaptation strategies. GLISA Program Manager David Bidwell moderated a panel,"Building Assessment Capacity," that discussed the needs of an ongoing assessment. The results will be compiled into a USGCRP town hall report. GLISA Team Member Julie Winkler (MSU) highlighted the Midwest Technical Input Report that was submitted to the NCA federal advisory committee and used as input to the NCA. GLISA Team Member Jeff Andresen (MSU) highlighted work in the Michigan cherry industry to provide a real-life example of integrating climate research and decision making processes. The project is funded by GLISA at the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station. The Town Hall took place on February 12, 2013 in Ann Arbor, and was open to the public via live-stream. Presentation videos and PDFs are available here.
Climate Change Vulnerability in Detroit
The Detroit Climate Action Collaborative (DCAC) partnered with University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning graduate students to assess climate change vulnerability in Detroit. Results are presented in a new report, Foundations for Community Action: Defining Climate Change Vulnerability in Detroit. The report includes a Vulnerability Assessment that identifies extreme heat events and flooding as key concerns. Eight "Work Groups," such as transportation, solid waste, and public space and water infrastructure, evaluated potential climate indicators, adaptation strategies, and long-term goals. GLISA Research Associate Dan Brown provided observed historical climate data (Great Lakes Climatic Divisions) and an analysis of climate trends and predictions. This technical data helped inform which adaptation strategies are needed in the city. Dr. Larissa Larsen, Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning and Natural Resources at the University of Michigan, advised the report and helped lead a study looking at the oldest housing stock in Detroit to understand the impacts of extreme heat events on the built environment and citizens residing there. "We looked at these heat events to find the
best adaptive strategies - adding trees, removing unnecessary hard
surfaces, and home weatherization to make homes more efficient and
reduce the cost of utilities," said Larsen. "The key to the project will be public
engagement and working with people to implement the most practical
responses." Community members will use the results of the report to develop a full climate action plan, involving both mitigation and adaptation strategies, under the Detroit Climate Action Collaborative. A link to the report has not yet been released.
Great Lakes Sea Grant Helping Communities Prepare for Climate Change
“Small communities across the Great Lakes region are really beginning to take note of climate change,” noted Laura Holladay, a climate specialist for GLISA and Michigan Sea Grant. Smaller communities - those with populations under about 25,000 people - might not have the significant resources that larger cities do when planning and preparing for climate change impacts. The Great Lakes Sea Grant Network is working to help those smaller communities to assess their climate vulnerabilities and identify adaptation strategies. Minnesota and Wisconsin Sea Grant recently developed a “checklist” tool for the self-assessment of community climate change preparedness. According to Holladay, “This self-assessment tool from Sea Grant is a much needed response to the question of, 'Where do we begin?' It provides a way for communities to identify areas where they may be most at-risk, to start a serious conversation about moving toward climate readiness.” The assessment is tailored for the Great Lakes region, and it provides an easy-to-use qualitative scoring method that helps communities identify their relative vulnerabilities to climate change in categories such as infrastructure and facilities, water resources, ecosystems and habitats, and tourism and recreation. Two communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin have completed the self-assessment. Sea Grant is evaluating the next possible steps, including an educational series or workshop, focusing further on “at-risk” categories identified by the self-assessment, and directing communities to more targeted, in-depth assessment tools. “Small communities have a wonderful opportunity to incorporate climate science, adaptation education and vulnerability assessments into current or upcoming planning processes,” says Minnesota Sea Grant’s Hilarie Sorenson. For more information, please contact Hilarie Sorensen (Minnesota Sea Grant) at soren360@d.umn.edu or Laura Holladay (GLISA / Michigan Sea Grant) at hollad@umich.edu.
|