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Facilitating Climate Change Responses A Report of Two Workshops on Knowledge from the Social and Behavioral Sciences (2010) / Chapter Skim
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6 Federal Climate Change Adaptation Planning
Pages 85-92

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From page 85...
... In October 2009, President Obama signed an executive order focused on greenhouse gas emissions reduction in the federal government, which included a section that recognized the task force and called on it to develop "recommendations toward" a national adaptation strategy by October 
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From page 86...
... Third, the task force has begun working to understand the implications of climate change for its work domestically and internationally. The task force found that there is substantial activity under way already in the federal government and in the country.
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From page 87...
... In Blair's view, there is a tension between mainstreaming adaptation into all the relevant agencies' operations and building the distinctive capacity for addressing adaptation that is also needed. The task force does not propose to create a new "adaptation office" in the federal government, yet without some source of concentrated expertise on it, there is a real gap in capacity.
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From page 88...
... She added that flexibility is a real challenge for the federal government. NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CLIMATE CHANGE Kathy Jacobs Office of Science and Technology Policy Kathy Jacobs spoke briefly about the new National Assessment of Climate Change now being organized.
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From page 89...
... is critical, and that the task force has issued a draft guidance document on incorporating climate change into NEPA, which is open to public comment. She said that the government needs to adapt NEPA to adaptation, noting that climate change challenges NEPA to incorporate flexible, forward-looking approaches.
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From page 90...
... does be considered part of climate change adaptation? She noted that there are political choices about what is counted, predicting that the task force is not likely to go in the direction of publishing an inventory.
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From page 91...
... He said that a conversation is needed that exposes all the mental models and questioned whether the national assessment process could put such terms out to the public so they can be discussed and defined. Blair said that the adaptation task force will not recommend national priorities or a comprehensive risk assessment approach to assess priorities.
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From page 92...
... 2 FACILITATING CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSES Ian Burton commented that it is exciting to hear the recognition that the country is at the beginning of something that is being approached with humility. He said that one can set priorities within sectors and localities, even without getting everyone to sing from the same page.
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Key Terms

  • change adaptation
  • adaptation task
  • adaptation planning
  • national adaptation
  • adaptation strategy

  • kathy jacobs
  • climate adaptation
  • spoke briefly
  • states help
  • comprehensive risk

  • limited set
  • change risk
  • adequately addressing
  • engineering training
  • eryday decisions

  • adaptation activities
  • build resilience
  • science input
  • blair added
  • exploits beneficial

  • executive order
  • critical issues
  • gas emissions
  • separate adaptation
  • ate impacts

  • incorporate flexible
  • moderates harm
  • mental models
  • jacobs spoke
  • expected climatic


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