Climate adaptation is the process of preparing for, and coping with, the impacts of climate change.

When you think about addressing climate change, you may think first about reducing and preventing future warming by decreasing use of fossil fuels. Mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions is critical for lessening the impacts of climate change. But it is just one aspect of addressing this global issue.

At the Climate Impacts Group, we work on another crucial aspect of addressing climate change – adaptation. Adaptation is the process of preparing for, and coping with, the impacts of climate change.

Why do we need to prepare?

Assumptions about climate (typical weather patterns over time) are intertwined with the routine decisions we make as a community, region and even as individuals. For instance, farmers make decisions about what to plant based on which crops thrive in historical climate conditions. Your drinking water utility manages the water system to make sure every household has the water they need, based on measurements of past water supply and expectations about future demand. You as an individual likely make plans to heat or cool your home or buy clothing for different seasons based on your assumptions about what the climate will be.

As the climate changes, these embedded assumptions need to be updated as well. For example, in many parts of the Pacific Northwest, stormwater infrastructure will need to expand to avoid severe flooding caused by increased precipitation.

How does the Climate Impacts Group support climate adaptation?

We develop scientific projections to illustrate the ways climate change is expected to affect our region. We help people across the Pacific Northwest understand how the effects of climate change – including rising air temperatures, decreasing snowfall, rising sea levels and drier summers – stand to impact the things they care about. We help communities assess their vulnerability to climate change impacts and develop plans to adapt across many sectors: from the environment to health, the economy to recreation. We support planners, natural resource managers, engineers, policymakers and many other decision makers across the state as they use our science to inform adaptation efforts.

How do communities adapt to climate change?

There is no one way to adapt to climate change. Communities take many different approaches to understand how climate change may impact the places and activities they care about and prepare for those impacts.

Still, there are common themes among adaptation processes. Most adaptation processes involve:

1. Understanding the specific local impacts of climate change and the risks they pose to local resources (for example, a sewage system or a popular park), values (such as community health or a cultural landmark), or goals (such as growing the local economy).
2. Taking steps to reduce those impacts. One approach is to protect the community from the change. For example, coastal communities might adapt to sea level rise by using green infrastructure that uses plants, reefs, sand and natural barriers to reduce erosion and flooding. Another approach is to strengthen the community’s ability to cope with climate change impacts; for example, ensuring more people have flood insurance can help decrease the impacts of flooding.
3. Taking steps to ensure that decision makers continue to monitor climate impacts and risks, and adjust their preparation efforts to cope with the ever-changing climate.
4. Supporting decision makers, community leaders and the public to cope with climate change by sharing information and developing resources that help integrate climate change science into decisions.

Throughout this process, we encourage communities to remember that preparing for climate change is not about making your community “climate proof,” but rather making it “climate resilient.” A climate-resilient community is one that takes proactive steps to prepare for projected climate change impacts by reducing their vulnerability and risks. Additionally, building a climate resilient community is an ongoing process that will evolve over time. However, it is important to start preparing now to avoid the worst consequences in the future.

Interested in learning more about the climate change adaptation process? Check out the Climate Impacts Group Adaptation Guidebook, tribal vulnerability assessment resources and this guide from the Tulalip Tribes.

Learn more about how the Climate Impacts Group is supporting climate adaptation in the Northwest.