| "“What we need to know are the likely costs of no action versus the cost of action.”" |
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| Jeffrey Weber, Oregon Coastal Management Program |
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Research shows that the impacts of climate change are already being seen in Oregon. A Climate Change Adaptation Framework was recently released that lays out the state’s climate-related risks and the resulting actions that are needed to adapt.
The Oregon Coastal Management Program helped lead a collaborative process with state agencies and organizations to develop the framework.
“One of our conclusions is that addressing changing climate conditions isn’t necessarily about doing new things. It’s often about doing the things we do today differently and according to different standards,” says Jeffrey Weber, coastal conservation coordinator for the Oregon Coastal Management Program.
The framework identifies expected climate-related risks and the state’s ability to adapt to those risks, as well as short-term priorities. It also provides steps that will evolve into a long-term process to improve Oregon’s capacity to adapt to future climate conditions.
Weber says the work to create the framework began in October 2009, when the governor asked the directors of several state agencies, research institutions, and extension services to develop a climate change adaptation plan.
Among other things, the plan was to provide a framework for state agencies to identify authorities, actions, research, and resources needed to increase Oregon’s capacity to address the impacts of climate change.
“The governor asked my department to take the lead role in facilitating that process, which we did,” Weber says. “The work was done by a core group of staff from about eight to ten state agencies,” including the departments of health and transportation.
The first two tasks of the interagency work group, which met about 20 times, were to identify likely changes in Oregon’s climate conditions and the likely consequences of those changes over the next 40 to 50 years.
The work group identified several dozen likely changes in four areas: built and developed systems, ecosystems, public health and safety, and Oregon’s economy. In consultation with the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute and state agencies, the work group ultimately combined the likely changes into 11 categories.
The group’s biggest challenge, Weber says, was characterizing the risks to the state’s economy.
“Very little information is available on the likely economic effects of climate change,” he says. “Risks to Oregon’s economy that were identified were really risks to other systems restated in very general economic terms.”
He adds, “What we need to know are the likely costs of no action versus the cost of action.”
The next step was to identify existing state programs that can respond, Weber says. Those actions were then prioritized. Since no new funding was available, the group focused on low- or no-cost actions.
The resulting framework was released November 30, 2010.
“We recognize that this is version 1.0,” Weber says. “It’s establishing the stage for continued collaborating and coordination. It will be necessary to continue to develop adaptation strategies and plans, particularly at the regional and local level.”
To view the “Oregon Climate Change Adaptation Framework” document, point your browser to www.lcd.state.or.us/LCD/docs/ClimateChange/Framework_Final.pdf. For more information, you may contact Jeffrey Weber at (971) 673-0964 or jeff.weber@state.or.us.
