Adapting to Climate Change: April 1, 2009

Adapting to a Changing Climate: Reforming Institutions and Managing for Extremes

The development of public policy to respond to a changing climate by mitigation has been under way since the 1980s. The building blocks of mitigation policy rely heavily on a 40-year legacy of research in environmental and regulatory economics that informs our understanding of emissions and performance standards, cap-and-trade permit systems, and emissions taxes. The development of comparable policies designed to enhance adaptation to climate change has received less attention. Here, little opportunity exists to draw upon well-tested regulatory tools.

Our panel will focus on the challenges of crafting “adaptation policy” as a component of U.S. actions to respond to climate change. Panelists will first summarize the state of knowledge about likely effects of climate change on environmental and natural resources, including freshwater, marine resources, terrestrial ecosystems, and built infrastructure. Discussion will then turn to priorities in policy design— with emphasis on reforming institutions and managing for uncertain climate extremes.


Who:
Moderator:
Molly Macauley, Senior Fellow and Director of Academic Programs, Resources for the Future

Panelists:
Alan Covich, Professor of Ecology, and former Director of the Institute of Ecology, Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia Richard Morgenstern, Senior Fellow, Resources for the Future James Neumann, Principal, Industrial Economics, Inc.
Steven W. Running, University Regents Professor of Ecology, University of Montana, Missoula James N. Sanchirico, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis; and University Fellow,Resources for the Future

What: First Wednesday Seminar

When: Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 12:45 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Light lunch available at 12:30 p.m.

Where: Resources for the Future, 1616 P Street NW, Washington, DC
First Floor Conference Center


To RSVP for this event, please visit RFF's event registration page.


At RFF's monthly First Wednesday Seminar Series, scholars and experts exchange ideas and views with the RFF community on important energy, environmental, and natural resource topics.