Most US organizations not adapting to clim...(asting and institutional capacity to ada...)

Date:12/2/2008

asting and institutional capacity to adapt, have not yet done so," says Repetto, who until recently was a professor in the practice of economics and sustainable development at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. "There have been very few changes in forecasts, plans, investment decisions, budgets or staffing patterns in response to climate risks."

The report cites:

• New York City's 40-year-old building codes that require structures to withstand only 110 mph winds, when climate change is causing more intense hurricanes that could bring speeds of up to 135 mph, and its flood maps that are based on historical data and not on climate change modeling data. Increases in sea levels and surges associated with severe storms would likely inundate Kennedy Airport and lower Manhattan, including the subway entrances and tunnels into Manhattan.

• Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, where water supply is critical and climate change is not factored into state agencies' current water management plans.

• A 2007 GAO report that land and resource managers for the Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service have ignored a directive by the Interior Department to consider climate change in their management plans.

• Federal planning guidelines that states and municipalities must follow to receive funding for transportation investments that do not require consideration of climate change in the design and siting of highways and rail lines.

• Municipal public health agencies in Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia, among others, that have not factored climate change into plans for confronting public health risks, despite the belief that climate change will increase the incidence and severity of vector-borne diseases and respiratory illnesses.

"To say that the United States has the technological, economic and human capacity to adapt to
'/>"/>

Contact: David DeFusco david.defusco@yale.edu 203-436-4842 Yale University Source:Eurekalert

0 GOOD

Page: 1 2 3
Related biology news :

1. Evolution education is a must says coalition of scientific and teaching organizations
2. Report -- adapting farming to climate change
3. Adapting local ecosystems can soften impact of global climate change
4. Biogeography, changing climates and niche evolution
5. Cool idea for efficient climate control wins recognition
6. Key link in how plants adapt to climate discovered by Stanford researchers
7. Getting warmer? Prehistoric climate can help forecast future changes
8. Climate change opens new avenue for spread of invasive plants
9. Alpine rivers hold important clues for preserving biodiversity and coping with climate change
10. Issues at intersection of climate change and health impact global well-being
11. UI researchers help to improve carbon measurements in global climate studies