Common Resources

Using Executive Action to Promote Climate Change Adaptation

Buried in the middle of climate’s extended shout-out during the State of the Union, President Obama pledged to direct his Cabinet to “to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable [...]

Climate-Ready Coastal Development? A Model from Pelican Bay, Florida

Americans love the coast.  We live there.  We vacation there.  Coastal areas generate substantial economic activity.  But building on the coast is risky—storms and sea level rise threaten coastal development.  Is there a model of development that allows us to enjoy all the ocean has to offer and yet reduces the risks from these hazards? [...]

Doha in Context: A Brief History of Climate Negotiations

The 18th round of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations concluded last month in Doha. Expectations were low, but reviews have still been mixed. But for those who aren’t insiders, understanding the talks – much less identifying success or failure – is very hard because of the complexity that’s accumulated over the [...]

Doha Dysfunction

You are probably used to hearing about how dysfunctional the COPs are, how much unnecessary brinksmanship they display, and how despite a couple weeks of long nights and frayed nerves, the delegates seem to come together and salvage some kind of agreement that may or may not be disappointing, but at least has some potential [...]

VIDEO: How Communities And Countries Can Adapt To Climate Change

We’ve previously talked about Resources for the Future’s two-year research project on climate change adaptation in the United States, Reforming Institutions and Managing Extremes. However, while the U.S. is facing the effects of climate change, developing countries are more at risk. For a perspective on what is needed to address global climate adaptation, RFF Center [...]

PODCAST: U.S. Policy Options For Adapting To Climate Change

Across the United States, various regions are already experiencing the effects of climate change. Droughts in the Southwest and historic flooding of the Mississippi this year are only a handful of events related to climate change. Adaptation will be local and catered to the needs of the different regions, but the federal government can play [...]

Beyond The Sea Wall: Social Vulnerability In Climate Change Adaptation

Much discussion about adaptation to climate change has focused on strengthening infrastructure such as roads and bridges or in building physical protection such as sea walls. Now, a growing number of NGOs and policy analysts are urging that adaptation to climate change should also consider actions to reduce social vulnerability. The principle is simple. Social [...]

PODCAST: Climate Adaptation In U.S. Policy

Climate policy used to be seen as either concentrating efforts on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions or adapting to a changing environment. Many environmentalists focused on the former, with the latter as a secondary concern. However, as the process over agreeing on mitigation policy in domestic and international areas remains deeply political, economic, and slow, adaptation [...]

Adaptation and Infrastructure in the U.S.

Key elements of America’s infrastructure— such as transportation; energy generation and transmission; water, sewer, and telecommunications; and coastal defense—may be compromised by the extreme weather events, rising temperatures, and other effects of global climate change. These threats are assessed in a new RFF Report, “Adapting to Climate Change: The Public Policy Response—Public Infrastructure.” Authors James [...]

National Climate Assessment: Climate Change Underway, More Adaptation Research Needed

Climate change is underway in the United States and expected to continue with far-reaching effects if unmitigated—from thawing Alaskan permafrost, to declining air quality in the Northeast, to rising sea levels encroaching on Pacific Island regions—according to a new report from the U.S. Global Climate Research Program. (Key findings here) “Global Change Impacts in the [...]