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Welcome back to the America Adapts newsletter, our community for those involved in the climate adaptation space (and those curious to learn more!).
This newsletter highlights episode 188 of America Adapts featuring Susan Crawford, a law professor at Harvard Law School, focusing on adaptation and public leadership. Susan is the author of a new book, Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm. Susan and I discussed the intersection of race and climate change in Charleston's infrastructure planning. We highlighted the city's reliance on tourism, the impacts of climate change on marginalized communities, and potential solutions such as buyouts and managed retreat. Learn terms like raging politeness and benevolent paternalism and their relevance to race relations in the city. The conversation emphasized the importance of inclusive approaches, government intervention, and interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing climate challenges. It was a riveting discussion about one of America’s oldest cities and how it plans to adapt to climate change.
Upcoming episodes:
- Up next, I went to St. Louis, Missouri for the U.S. Department of Defense Climate Resilience Workshop DoD invited me to cover the event (only media present) and I got some great interviews with DoD staff and several of their external partners at the 900 person event. DoD is doing a lot of resilience planning, especially at their installations. And very encouraging to see so many participants!
- I'm also partnering with the Natural Resources Defense Council on work they are doing with buyouts and flooding and an episode with Forerunner and how they approach flood management modeling.
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The Division manages many projects that advance the resilience of Charleston. We define resilience as the capacity of a community, business or natural system to prevent, withstand, respond to, and recover from a disruption. Efforts to increase resilience to climate and non-climate impacts in Charleston are built on the foundation of understanding- and reducing- vulnerability.
The strategy highlights the many different ways to reduce emissions while also improving our quality of life- such as cost savings, improved mobility and increasing climate adaptation. It also reflects the latest science, aligns with national and international industry standards, is synergistic with other City plans, and emphasizes the importance of ongoing, equitable community engagement.
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Climate adaptation is an emerging field and there is still confusion out there on what it really means. I use the podcast to support this emerging sector as it increasingly touches upon all areas of our society. People in the sustainability space are quickly joining the party and there is a lot of confusion on what adaptation means. I am increasingly encountering people who talk about mitigation and carbon and think it is all adaptation. Generalizations like "we need to adapt our society to all facets of climate change" give people the sense the word is just to be taken at face value. I will use this space to highlight why adaptation is its own field. Please reach out if you have your own experiences trying to explain the differences. America Adapts is not the final say on what adaptation really means! But we can't let this emerging field be hijacked and lumped with sustainability and the thousands of definitions people have given 'resilience.' Just to kick this off, let's take a look at what the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change defines for adaptation and resilience and sustainability (definition provided by the United Nations.)
Adaptation
In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected
climate and its effects, in order to moderate harm or exploit beneficial
opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual
climate and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to
expected climate.
Resilience
The ability of a system and its component parts to anticipate, absorb,
accommodate, or recover from the effects of a hazardous event in a
timely and efficient manner, including through ensuring the preservation,
restoration, or improvement of its essential basic structures and functions.
Sustainability
The United Nations defined sustainable development in the Brundtland Report as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It assumes that resources are finite, and so should be used conservatively and carefully to ensure that there is enough for future generations, without decreasing present quality of life. A sustainable society must be socially responsible, focusing on environmental protection and dynamic equilibrium in human and natural systems.
These are different things!
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Hey Adapters, who's headed to the city of Pomona for the 2023 California Adaptation Forum! I am!!!
I'm participating in a workshop focusing on...you guessed it..communication. I'll discuss how podcasts can be a useful platform for adaptation communication. Lisa Craig of the Craig Group is organizing the workshop. I've never been to the California Adaptation Forum and looking forward to it! Obviously the state is on the leading edge of adaptation planning. Excited to learn what the state is up to and meeting listeners of the podcast. Please reach out if you're at the forum! Session web site here.
Workshop: Communicating Climate Adaptation: A Toolkit for Whole Community Engagement
This workshop will provide tips and tools from a planner's perspective for professionals engaging with property owners, elected officials, and whole communities on best practices in communicating the value of climate adaptation. Whether communicating in-person, in print, or online, it's critical to craft a message that resonates with the audience. Using a FEMA-based approach for audience identification and message development, this workshop will examine how branding, taglines, storytelling, documentation, and art can themselves be a climate adaptation strategy. In addition, America Adapts host, Doug Parsons, will demonstrate why podcasting is a must-have tool in your climate adaptation toolkit.
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Thank you for being a dedicated listener to the podcast! I am seeking financial support for America Adapts, a small non-profit organization centered around the podcast. While I do have sponsorships for certain episodes, I also rely on individual donations. Currently, I have donors contributing monthly, which is tax deductible. However, I need more support from listeners like you. I've heard from many of you that you find tremendous value in this podcast, both professionally and in promoting awareness of adaptation. By donating, you are contributing to the podcast's influence and helping to spread awareness. Consider a recurring donation similar to the cost of a $5 latte to support America Adapts! I rely on sponsorships and direct support from listeners to continue publishing the podcast. Join our community of changemakers and shape the future of climate adaptation by supporting the podcast in sharing these adaptation stories. Thank you and you can donate here!
Additional ways to support America Adapts:
- Encourage your colleagues to subscribe to this newsletter here.
- If you listen to podcasts on Apple, use your iPhone and subscribe to the pod here (it's free of course!).
- Leave a review on Apple Podcasts here!
- Do a personal post of a favorite episode on your LinkedIn profile! LinkedIn is one of the most effective ways to communicate with people in our field. Find an episode here!
- Recommend a podcast guest! Email me with suggestions. Even if they don't come on the podcast, it allows me to do some homework and learn something new. Email me here.
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Does your organization have a powerful and inspiring story of climate change adaptation to share with the world? Imagine showcasing it on a widely acclaimed podcast with a large network of climate and adaptation professionals. America Adapts offers you the perfect platform to tell your story and spread your message to a global audience. By sponsoring an episode, not only will you be sharing your story with the world, but you will also be incorporating a podcast episode as part of your organization's long-term communication strategy. Don't limit your communication toolkit to just webinars and white papers, they can be dry and forgettable. Give your organization a dynamic and engaging way to communicate with members, board members, and funders. Make a lasting impact by using the power of podcast storytelling to captivate your audience and bring your message to life.
Discover the enduring value of podcasts, as they continue to promote your story long after its initial release. Delve deeper into this topic by emailing here!
Examples of sponsored podcasts on America Adapts include:
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