Literature Review
Adapting to climate change is not limited to environmental issues but rather on the policies developed by the legal instruments, socially responsible business, scientific research as well as awareness creation. The United States has already started on adapting its institutions on climate change vulnerability through conventions and National Adaptation Summits as well as being signatories to international MEA’s (Multilateral Environmental Agreements) such as the Kyoto Protocol as well as Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(karl, Melillo and Peterson, 2009). This shows that the issue is not only experienced at a regional level but on the global spectrum as well. The concept of adapting to climate change is vast in terms of streamlining policies to identify and mitigate standards for environmental protection as well as the fiscal opportunities it demands.
For climate change to be curbed, initiatives must start at the regional/ state level. The United States has conducted assessment studies of the potential of climate change and how it could impact its cities. The realization of the impacts climate change has on demographical factors, economic change as well as technological advancement has drove the country to conduct a holistic approach towards integrating adaptation methods in their planning efforts . In addition to this, sustainability and resilience are also key concepts within the broader context of climate change adaptation. That is, climate change adaptation serves as a broader dimension towards achieving sustainability.
The comprehension that climate change is brought about by multiple stresses, for example, the increased wildfire experiences are a cause of drought, storm intensity, human settlement and poor disaster management practices (Savonis, Burkett, and Potter 2008). Henceforth resilience to multiple stress factors emerges as a key dimension towards climate change management. There are numerous case studies within the United States which show how both community and regional resilience have worked out as climate change adaptation criterion. Creating mitigating strategies in regions where occurrence of natural disasters as well as human induced technological disasters are prone is what resilience is all about . The process enables communities to use the resources they have at their disposal to come up with innovative strategies that help them adapt to climate change as well as prepare for the future in a more sustainable manner.
Recommendations
- Streamlining Policies
Policies are the link to how everything must be governed for the holistic development of a community or society. The case study has dwelled on what communities must do to adapt to climate change. Creating enabling policies also restructures the process of climate change and also enables the relevant stakeholders to prioritize their approaches as well as decisions.
- Participation
Most climate change adaptation strategies have failed to commence since the relevant stakeholders are not involved. Since it affects all aspects of the economy be it businesses, education and health the spectrum of participators must be inclusive as well.
- Awareness Creation
The writer has dwelled on this part but not in depth. Since sustainability and resilience are involved. Creating school curricula’s with the inclusion of environmental education within the education system would go a long way towards ascertaining future environmental awareness.
- Cross Regional Partnership
Climate change affects different regions of the globe in unfamiliar ways. Partnering with states to conduct assessment studies ensures that information as well as knowledge is shared.
- Scientific Research
Science creates a platform for sharing ideas, views as well as opinions. Also, scientific research adds credibility to the findings about climate change thus allowing nations to create platforms for adapting.
References
Wilbanks, T. J., & Kates, R. W. (2010). Beyond Adapting to Climate Change: Embedding Adaptation in Responses To Multiple Threats and Stresses. New York: Taylor and Francis.
