Recommendations to Presidential Candidates Regarding
Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience
November 1, 2016
The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) is a professional organization comprised of
climate change adaptation experts and practitioners from over 400 organizations and 48 states. Our
membership includes public, private, civic and academic institutions, and work across all sectors of practice.
ASAP is supported by the Institute for Sustainable Communities, with funding from the Kresge Foundation
and the MacArthur Foundation. ASAP members contribute leadership and expertise to the climate
adaptation field and it is based on this expertise we offer our input regarding the urgent need for the
incoming administration to direct budget and leadership to climate adaptation initiatives. In addition to
offering advice and guidance, we would we would be happy to provide staff support to the campaign's
transition team.
The Issue
The impacts of climate change are being felt across the country. These impacts include, but are not limited
to:
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Property and crop damage estimated to average nearly $8 billion per year from 1981 through 2011 i
An estimation of over $1 trillion in total damage from weather disasters since 1980 ii
Increasing wildfire fighting costs averaging $1.8 billion annually for the past five years iii
Global warming will continue to trigger more frequent and
extreme droughts, floods, severe storms, and rising sea level. iv
These impacts combined with deteriorated infrastructure, and
massive deficits in FEMA and National Flood Insurance
Program v budgets spell economic, environmental, and social
disaster for urban and rural communities across the country.
While climate change mitigation is essential for success of the
global movement to reduce carbon emissions, we must
prepare now for the current and future impacts of a changing
climate.
Adaptation: Adjustment in natural or
human systems to a changing climate that
exploits beneficial opportunities or
moderates negative effects.
Mitigation: An intervention to reduce the
causes of changes in climate, such as
through reducing emissions of greenhouse
gases to the atmosphere.
We have already experienced 30 consecutive ‘warmer than average’ years of global temperature and the
trend is continuing. vi All climate models agree that, even if rapid mitigation of GHG emissions occur, our
climate will continue to change because of historical emissions built up in the atmosphere over the past two
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centuries. Mitigation and adaptation are inextricably linked and mitigation alone is not enough. We see
cities and the private sector leading the way on climate adaptation. Through the implementation of
innovative technologies, funding mechanisms, and inclusive processes, leaders are trying to ensure vibrant
and secure futures for their communities. It is time for the federal government to provide coordinated and
meaningful support to these efforts and place climate adaptation as a top priority for national security and
wellbeing.
The Costs of Inaction
Forest fires raging across California, storm surge inundating the Gulf coast, unrelenting rain pounding the
Carolinas, drought depleting agricultural production across the West Coast, algae blooms poisoning water
supplies in the Great Lakes - all of these climate change impacts destabilize communities, deteriorate public
health, threaten food security and damage our cultural and national icons. vii, viii Additionally, they contribute
to the growing national debt and future impacts will continue destabilizing local and national economies.
Anticipated costs of climate change in the next fifteen years include:
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$35 billion in damages from coastal storms across the East and Gulf Coast ix
Potential losses of 20% of crop yields in the Midwest and Southeast x
An increase in costs of wildfire control of over $700 million by 2025 xi
At the same time, the economic case for making strong investments in climate change adaptation is
becoming clearer as studies and practices are showing that every dollar spent in preparing for climate
change impacts saves $4 in response and recovery efforts after disruptions. xii, xiii
Adaptation Opportunities
Organizing Tools and Resources
Substantial resources and expertise have been developed over the past 10 years by federal and state
agencies, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and consultants to meet the need for adaptation
at various levels. These entities have developed innovative frameworks, tools, and resources to address the
complex nature of climate change for human and natural systems. Opportunities to get adaptation efforts
underway nationwide now exist at multiple levels. xiv, xv Unfortunately, despite best intentions, poorly
coordinated efforts have left a sea of resources that are difficult to navigate and thus less likely for on-theground practitioners to use. xvi The next administration is presented with an opportunity to seize on past
efforts and work with public and private entities to organize these resources in ways that will improve
national security, build on private sector investments, and position the United States to lead by example in
solutions to the global climate challenge.
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Leading Private Public Partnerships
The time is ripe to develop public-private partnerships with Fortune 500 companies committed to
supporting climate adaptation efforts, including Apple, Goldman Sachs, WalMart, Coca Cola, and many
more. xvii The recent Obama Administration unveiling of partnerships, such as Partnership for Resilience
Preparedness (PREP) brings together the federal resources with partners like Amazon, Google, and ESRI to
leverage the power of private data management with the deep data resources of the federal government.
This program (and others) can serve as an example for future public private collaborations.
Engaging the Financial Sector
We are seeing a market shift in the financial sectors in response to climate adaptation and preparedness.
The investment community is expected to distribute over $100 billion in Green Bonds in 2017. xviii
Catastrophe bonds are playing an increasing role in the insurance industry, and reinsurance, traditional
insurers, banks, and other investors are developing metrics and standards to account for and credit planning
that is climate smart and resilient.
The climate change adaptation field is growing quickly, creating opportunities for the federal government to
provide stable leadership and bolster these emerging efforts with much needed support.
Federal Leadership
The choice for the next administration is clear: either carry on as we have done in the past, incurring
increasing climate-related costs in lives lost, economic disturbance, ecological degradation, and property
damage; OR lead the country in a deliberate and impactful direction to a climate-ready society that is
economically thriving, socially just, and at the helm of the climate innovation and technology movement.
This is a critically important domestic and international issue. The U.S. already contributes to domestic and
international climate programs through USAID, DoS, MCC, and Treasury. There will be pressure to continue
doing so while working to meet international obligations related to the COP 21 agreements negotiated in
Paris. The American Society of Adaptation Professionals and adaptation experts within the field stand ready
to help the new administration move forward in building climate resilience nationwide and across the globe.
Accountability
If the federal system is to take its appropriate role in promoting adaptation at all levels of government, it will
do so as a result of strong leadership from the White House, that ensures alignment of vision and goals
throughout the federal system and creates accountability for moving that vision forward.
Should you become the next President of the United States, climate change must be a primary focus of your
administration, whether driven by international diplomatic processes or by an inexorable recognition of real
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climate impacts here in the U.S. Therefore, as your transition team prepares your approach to climate
change, we ask that your administration substantially enhance adaptation efforts beyond those in place
today and prioritize both mitigation and adaptation in your domestic policies. We are developing specific
recommendations for action and will submit those to your transition team following the election.
Contact:
Elizabeth Gibbons, Managing Director
American Society of Adaptation Professionals
110 North Hamilton Street| Ypsilanti, MI 48197
[email protected] | 202-904-9946
American Society of Adaptation Professionals Executive Board Members
Chairman, Steve Adams, Director of Urban Resilience, Institute for Sustainable Communities
Joyce Coffee, President, Climate Resilience Consulting
Josh Foster, Oregon State University
Eric Mielbrecht, Directing Scientist and Chief of Operations, EcoAdapt
Dr. Susanne Moser, Research Fellow, Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University
James Murley, Chief Resilience Officer, Miami-Dade County
American Society of Adaptation Professionals Policy Recommendations Working Group
Shannon Cunniff
Gavin Dillingham, Houston Advanced Research Center
Ira Feldman, Greentrack
Tonya Graham, ClimateWise®
Lisa Granquist, Northeastern University
George Haddow, Bullock & Haddow LLC
Edward Thomas, National Hazard Mitigation Association
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References
EPA. 2015. Climate Change in the United States: Benefits of Global Action. United States Environmental Protection
Agency, Office of Atmospheric Programs, EPA 430-R-15-001.
i
Lu, Denise. "Here’s Every Billion-dollar Weather Disaster in the U.S. since 1980." Washington Post. 18 Aug. 2016.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/billion-dollar-disasters.
ii
Gorte, P. 2013. The Rising Cost of Wildfire Protection. http://headwaterseconomics.org/wphw/wpcontent/uploads/fire-costs-background-report.pdf
iii
IPCC, 2014: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects.
Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
[Field, C.B., V.R. Barros, D.J. Dokken, K.J. Mach, M.D. Mastrandrea, T.E. Bilir, M. Chatterjee, K.L. Ebi, Y.O. Estrada, R.C.
Genova, B. Girma, E.S. Kissel, A.N. Levy, S. MacCracken, P.R. Mastrandrea, and L.L. White (eds.)]. Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, 1132 pp.
iv
United States Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. “INSURING OUR FUTURE:
BUILDING A FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM WE CAN LIVE WITH, GROW WITH AND PROSPER WITH.” July 23, 2014. 113th
Congress 2nd Session. (Statement of Craig Fugate Administrator Federal Emergency Management Agency U.S.
Department Of Homeland Security) [retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/14080385960213354eb12e21447bc19f59d80a75a82fa/7-23-14%20-%20HFIAA%20Hearing_508.pdf]
v
Rood, R. 2015. The Conversation. Let’s call it: 30 years of above average temperatures means the climate has
changed. [Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/lets-call-it-30-years-of-above-average-temperatures-meansthe-climate-has-changed-36175]
vii
Bedsworth, L. W., & Hanak, E. (2013). Climate policy at the local level: Insights from California. Global environmental
change, 23(3), 664-677.
viii
Katich, K. N. (2009). Urban climate resilience: a global assessment of city adaptation plans (Doctoral dissertation,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
ix
Gordon, K., Houser, T., Kopp III, R. E., Hsiang, S. M., Larsen, K., Jina, A., & Mastrandrea, M. (2014, December). Risky
Business and the American Climate Prospectus: Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States. In AGU Fall
Meeting Abstracts (Vol. 1, p. 01).
http://riskybusiness.org/site/assets/uploads/2015/09/RiskyBusiness_Report_WEB_09_08_14.pdf
x
Gordon, K., Houser, T., Kopp III, R. E., Hsiang, S. M., Larsen, K., Jina, A., & Mastrandrea, M. (2014, December). Risky
Business and the American Climate Prospectus: Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States. In AGU Fall
Meeting Abstracts (Vol. 1, p. 01).
http://riskybusiness.org/site/assets/uploads/2015/09/RiskyBusiness_Report_WEB_09_08_14.pdf
xi
United States Department of Agriculture. 2015. The Rising Cost of Wildfire Operations. Effects on the Forest Service’s
Non-Fire Operations. Retrieved from http://www.fs.fed.us/sites/default/files/2015-Rising-Cost-WildfireOperations.pdf]
vi
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Council, M. M. (2005). Natural hazard mitigation saves: An independent study to assess the future savings from
mitigation activities. National Institute of Building Sciences, Washington, DC.
xiii
Ganderton, P.T., et al., 2006. Mitigation generates savings of four to one and enhances community resilience: MMC
releases independent study on savings from natural hazard mitigation. Natural hazard observer, 30 (4), 1–3.
xiv
2014. Chief of Staff, Center for Environmental Quality White House. The State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on
Climate Preparedness and Resilience Task Force Recommendations to the President.
xv
Bierbaum, R. et al. A Comprehensive review of climate adaptation in the United States: more than before, but less
than needed. Mitigation Adaptation Strategy Global Change.
xvi
J.Nordgren, et al., Supporting local climate change adaptation: Where we are and where we need to go, Envionr. Sci.
Policy (2016).
xvii
The White House, Office of the Press Secretary. (2016). White House Announces Additional Commitments to the
American Business Act on Climate Pledge [Press Release]. Retrieved from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2015/11/30/white-house-announces-additional-commitments-american-business-act
xviii
Boulle,B. et al. Climate Bonds Initiative (2016). Bonds and Climate Change the State of the Market in 2016. [Report]
Retrieved from https://www.climatebonds.net/files/files/reports/cbi-hsbc-state-of-the-market-2016.pdf
xii
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