In 2009, the Washington State legislature passed the Washington State Climate Leadership Act which, among a number of climate mitigation measures, directed state agencies to collaboratively produce an integrated climate response strategy and use that strategy when planning or designing agency policies or programs. Washington’s Integrated Climate Response Strategy (WICRS) was published in 2012. Not long after, an informal network of climate adaptation practitioners from several state agencies (ICAN), described an interest in understanding the status of their climate adaptation planning. In response to this interest, the University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group in collaboration with the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs designed a study to answer: (1) What is the status of climate change adaptation across and within Washington State agencies? (2) What approaches are other states employing to track performance on adaptation plan implementation? (3) What types of monitoring and evaluation frameworks can agencies apply to their adaptation efforts going forward? Primary and secondary data was collected and analyzed using a performance measurement framework through a review of agencies’ adaptation activities related to WICRS, an online survey, focus group discussions, and a review of survey results designed and disseminated by ICAN leadership. Throughout the research process, ICAN was updated on the study’s findings and relevant feedback was integrated into the study’s design. This research provides evidence of some state agencies’ active engagement in climate adaptation activities and subsequent implementation of WICRS, but the use of the Strategy in driving these activities is limited. Unlike some other US states engaging in climate change adaptation, Washington has no implementation plan or centralized method of tracking or reporting climate adaptation efforts. This research suggests that Washington State agencies can use a logic model framework derived, in part, from WICRS to track, coordinate, and compare their adaptation efforts. The information acquired through that practice could be used to demonstrate compliance with the state mandate, report performance to stakeholders, and evaluate the impacts of adaptation interventions on Washington State’s climate preparedness.

Changes in the climate attributable to increased concentrations of greenhouse gases may have significant impacts in the U.S. and the world. Greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere will continue altering the climate system into the future, regardless of emissions control efforts. Therefore, adaptation -- defined as adjustments to natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate change -- is an important part of the response to climate change. This report examined: what actions federal, state, local, and international authorities are taking to adapt to a changing climate, and the challenges they face in their efforts to adapt; and actions that Congress and fed. agencies could take to help address these challenges. Charts and tables.

This synthesis and literature review requested by Seth Stark, Sustainable Transportation Manager, Washington State Dept. of Transportation, provides information on strategies other state DOT's, countries and local agencies are using to prepare for climate change adaptation and mitigation of the impacts.

Climate change poses many challenges that affect society and the natural world. With these challenges, however, come opportunities to respond. By taking steps to adapt to and mitigate climate change, the risks to society and the impacts of continued climate change can be lessened. The National Climate Assessment, coordinated by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, is a mandated report intended to inform response decisions. Required to be developed every four years, these reports provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date evaluation of climate change impacts available for the United States, making them a unique and important climate change document. The draft Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) report reviewed here addresses a wide range of topics of high importance to the United States and society more broadly, extending from human health and community well-being, to the built environment, to businesses and economies, to ecosystems and natural resources. This report evaluates the draft NCA4 to determine if it meets the requirements of the federal mandate, whether it provides accurate information grounded in the scientific literature, and whether it effectively communicates climate science, impacts, and responses for general audiences including the public, decision makers, and other stakeholders.

The indoor environment affects occupants' health and comfort. Poor environmental conditions and indoor contaminants are estimated to cost the U.S. economy tens of billions of dollars a year in exacerbation of illnesses like asthma, allergic symptoms, and subsequent lost productivity. Climate change has the potential to affect the indoor environment because conditions inside buildings are influenced by conditions outside them. Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health addresses the impacts that climate change may have on the indoor environment and the resulting health effects. It finds that steps taken to mitigate climate change may cause or exacerbate harmful indoor environmental conditions. The book discusses the role the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should take in informing the public, health professionals, and those in the building industry about potential risks and what can be done to address them. The study also recommends that building codes account for climate change projections; that federal agencies join to develop or refine protocols and testing standards for evaluating emissions from materials, furnishings, and appliances used in buildings; and that building weatherization efforts include consideration of health effects. Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health is written primarily for the EPA and other federal agencies, organizations, and researchers with interests in public health; the environment; building design, construction, and operation; and climate issues.

Across the United States, impacts of climate change are already evident. Heat waves have become more frequent and intense, cold extremes have become less frequent, and patterns of rainfall are likely changing. The proportion of precipitation that falls as rain rather than snow has increased across the western United States and Arctic sea ice has been reduced significantly. Sea level has been rising faster than at any time in recent history, threatening the natural and built environments on the coasts. Even if emissions of greenhouse gases were substantially reduced now, climate change and its resulting impacts would continue for some time to come. To date, decisions related to the management and protection of the nation's people, resources, and infrastructure have been based on records in the recent past, when climate was relatively stable. Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change, part of the congressionally requested America's Climate Choices suite of studies, calls for a new paradigm-one that considers a range of possible future climate conditions and impacts that may be well outside the realm of past experience. Adaptation requires actions from many decision makers in federal, state, tribal, and local governments; the private sector; non-governmental organizations; and community groups. However, current efforts are hampered by a lack of solid information about the benefits, costs, and effectiveness of various adaptation options; climate information on regional and local scales; and a lack of coordination. Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change calls for a national adaptation strategy that provides needed technical and scientific resources, incentives to begin adaptation planning, guidance across jurisdictions, shared lessons learned, and support of scientific research to expand knowledge of impacts and adaptation.