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Dear Adaptation Mavens,

I've recently begun working in the Adirondacks on a project focused on climate change adaptation, aquatic connectivity, and transportation infrastructure. I'd love to connect with others in North America who are working on the implementation side of adaptation. Do you know of useful listservs, fora, meetings, etc.? 

Sincerely,

Jessica Levine

(CAKE member and Single Adaptationist In Search of Like-minded Experts)

Dear SAISLE,

When we created the Adaptation Mavens column we dreamed that someday someone would ask us for dating advice and I think this is as close as we’re likely to get. So thank you!

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Dear Adaptation Mavens,

Here’s a topic I’m surprised hasn’t gotten more attention in your column: uncertainty. It seems to me to be the number one bugaboo for getting action on climate change, and it’s what lets so many conservatives live in denial about the importance of this issue. It’s what makes climate change so much different than all the other environmental problems we face, and quite frankly it IS hard to know what to do given that we don’t know how much climate change will happen and what it will do. So how can we move beyond climate uncertainty paralysis and actually start adapting our work to climate change?

Certainly Uncertain

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Dear Mavens,

We’re working on a community adaptation strategy, which clearly means we need to get the community engaged—otherwise it wouldn’t be a community strategy, would it? We think the idea of “preparedness” will resonate with our community, and want to build on that to get people thinking about, sharing, and taking adaptation actions. This means we need to develop an ad campaign to get people on board. Can you offer any advice? Our local advertising company doesn’t have experience with an issue like this.

Sincerely,

Shirley Outside Sheboygan

Dear  SOS ,

What a great idea. You’re all in it together so you might as well make it sexy and enticing to the member audience. We’ve never designed an ad campaign (other than our influential ecumenical series, including our anti-leaf blower effort “For god’s sake buy a rake,” our water conservation effort “Holy moses don’t use hoses,” and our buy local campaign “For the joy of Buddha, buy local gouda”) but we won’t let that stop us from sharing with you our thoughts on the matter.

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Dear Adaptation Mavens,

My hypothetical goal is to develop landscape-scale adaptation strategies that will maximize the ability of wildlife and their habitats to persist in upland/inland systems under climate change.  I can imagine numerous adaptation strategies that can be employed at the project & site level in both inland and coastal sites.  I can even tentatively identify a couple of landscape-scale adaptation strategies that may be appropriate for coastal systems, despite the inherent uniqueness of every site.  However, I am having a harder time identifying landscape-scale strategies for inland/upland systems.  

What can one do beyond identifying biologically diverse "hotspots" and conserving large tracts of land that are conducive to movement and include the greatest number of these biologically/geologically rich sites? Are adaptation strategies most applicable at the project or site level?  

Sincerely, No Finger Guns

Dear No Finger,

Here is our hypothetical answer to your hypothetical question. Just as the effects of climate change are experienced differently at different scales, so too must adaptation be approached differently at different scales. Some solutions can only be enacted at the federal or even multinational scale; others can only be effectively enacted at the site or project level. There is useful work to be done at both ends of, as well as all along, the spatial spectrum. If you’re trying to figure out the right scale for your own adaptation action, we suggest that you either focus on strategies that are best implemented at the scale at which you currently work, or find yourself a new position where you can work at the scale necessary to enact the strategies you think are most important. Read more »

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Dear Adaptation Mavens,

Long-time reader, first time writer. I have seen the light and I know that climate change is a concern for me and my work (I work in a county planning department). What I’m concerned about is that others in my department are less aware/certain of the reality of climate change. How can I engage people on the issue without turning it into a debate?

Sincerely,

Quiet Like a Fish

To our Fishy Friend,

People often worry that in today’s political climate it will be hard to get community support for projects related to climate change: the issue of climate change has become very polarized in the United States, and people have a lot of other worries on their plates. Still, there are plenty of examples of communities or organizations building climate change into their work. The way you communicate with people about climate change can make a big difference. Good communication can’t solve the problem of climate deniers and limited resources, but it can go a long way toward increasing your likelihood of success and support. Here are a few key ideas to get the conversation started.

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Dear Adaptation Mavens,

I have my botany class researching the effects of climate change on plants.  Is there research on the role of plants in mitigating climate change?  Or is this another long-term study I should think about starting?

Marya Czech, Lourdes University, Ohio

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Dear Adaptation Mavens, Read more »

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CAKE just turned one! In celebration, the site launched a new discussion forum this month where you—the reader—can do just what we do every month—share your adaptation insights in writing. Read more »

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Dear Adaptation Mavens,

A massive heat wave struck our community a decade ago leaving several people dead and many more hospitalized. We had extended power outages, severe water restrictions, and lots of environmental problems.  Thanks to this wake-up call, we’ve started to incorporate climate savvy actions into our regional planning and management schemes. We’ve planted more trees for shade, put in place water and energy conservation strategies, and created emergency action plans. Most folks are happy with the changes—property values are up and crime is down in our newly greened-up neighborhoods, and a number of businesses have commented that they’ve noticed significant financial savings thanks to using less water and energy—but a few people are asking whether the changes we have made are making any difference. How can we know if adaptation is working?

Help!

Looking for Options to Stay on Track

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Dear Adaptation Mavens,

I manage a small land trust created to protect a lovely little wetland beloved by birds, birders, and human or amphibian couples seeking a romantic getaway. In addition to the wetland there’s a nice meadow that boasts gorgeous spring flowers, and a beautiful hardwood forest around the entire perimeter of the trust land. We’re not far from a good-sized urban area, and we just heard about plans to create a large suburban development right next to our land trust! Acres of currently forested hillside upslope from our land will be cleared for houses, and of course there will be more roads put in to accommodate all the new traffic. Read more »