Examining climate change mitigation and adaptation behaviours among public sector organisations in the USA

Abstract

Climate change has become a more salient issue on the US policy agenda at all levels of government. Increasing empirical evidence and identification of its potential risks to human populations have increased media, public, and policy-maker interest. There is a gap, however, in our knowledge of sub-national decision-making which suggests several questions: Are community leaders deciding to take action in response to climate change action, and, if so, what is the solution focus -mitigation or adaptation? Our study addresses this gap in the literature by reporting the results of a national survey of local, regional, and state decision-makers whose organisations will be addressing community responses to the threat of climate change. We find that, in general, these agencies are not engaged in climate change policy, nor is the issue on their agendas. Among organisations considering policy responses, there is variation between types of agency and type of solution, mitigation versus adaptation.

U.S. Agricultural Producer Perceptions of Climate Change

“…For instance, although the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (also called the Waxman-Markey Bill) that addresses emissions of CO 2 and other greenhouse gases passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate failed to pass similar climate change legislation. At the same time, climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts are generally low-priority issues among public-sector (local and state) organizations in the United States (Brody et al, 2010).…”

Adaptation, mitigation, and their disharmonious discontents: an essay

“…In particular, policy-relevant, actionable, and place-based scientific knowledge on adaptation is relatively sparse, although that knowledge base varies across countries (National Research Council 2010a). This relative lack in scientific understanding is (maybe surprisingly) particularly acute in the US, where it has come into focus as adaptation has risen sharply on the federal, state, and local policy agendas (Moser 2009;National Research Council 2010a;Brody et al 2010). The UK and Australia, by contrast, are perceived to be further along in providing scientific information to support adaptation policies and decisions (Rayner and Jordan 2010;Neufeldt et al 2010; Australian Department of Climate Change 2010; Gardner et al 2010).…”

Carbon management in New Zealand local government: co-benefits of action and organisational resolve in the absence of government support

“…This is reflected in the literature as well, which suggests that without supportive policy at the national level, priority for climate change action within local government remains low (e.g. Betsill 2001;Brody et al 2010).…”