Community Resilience: It Takes A Village Civil Society Leadership Symposium December 8, 2009 Margaret A. Davidson NOAA’s Coastal Services Center

To understand and predict changes in Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our nation’s economic, social, and environmental needs NOAA’s Mission and Vision An informed society that uses a comprehensive understanding of the role of the oceans, coasts, and atmosphere in the global ecosystem to make the best social and economic decisions

NOAA Priorities 1.Ensure continuity of climate, weather, and ocean observations, both in situ and from space 2.Development of a National Climate Service 3.Improve weather forecasts & disaster warnings 4.Eliminate overfishing and ensure the sustainability of marine fisheries 5.Promote sustainable, resilient, and healthy coastal communities 6.Strengthen Arctic science and stewardship Carbon Tracker Hurricane Rick 2009 Long Beach, CA Habitat Restoration ~1+ Ton Mackerel

>$1 Billion Weather Disasters 1980 – 2007

Inundation and Accelerated Sea Level Rise “Models used to date do not… include the full effects of changes in ice sheet flow, because a basis in published literature is lacking.” Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Fourth Assessment Report More frequent and severe flooding from accelerated sea level rise (SLR) Increasing population and development at risk Information and tools needed now to aid decision making, even with the uncertainty in SLR projections

Coastal Communities: Vital to U.S. and International Economies 57 percent of the U.S. national gross domestic product is contributed by coastal watershed counties. Coastal counties contain 53 percent of the nation’s population—but account for only 17 percent of U.S. land area (excludes Alaska). Coastal habitats help reduce impacts of floods, storms, and climate change on coastal communities by absorbing water, wave energy, and other stressors.

Digital Coast

Multipurpose Marine Cadastre

Legislative Atlas Maps coastal and marine regulations Currently includes Federal legislation for Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf coasts State legislation for Gulf of Mexico region, CA, OR, WA Database of coastal laws

Informational Products

Barriers to Success Risk should be driving decision-making regarding development and redevelopment, but it is not. Why? Development revenues infused to local communities; losses are spread nationally Impediments associated with takings law: “… nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation" Federal policies that subsidize development in risky areas Need for improved communication of risk and urgency Lack of incentive or mandate for the range of state and local managers (i.e., emergency, floodplain, resource managers, land use, and transportation planners) to work together toward an effective solution

NOAA Decision Support for Resilience Partnerships Chambers of Commerce (Mobile Bay) The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, Land Trust Alliance Federal agencies Academia Assessments and Planning Guidance Adapting to Coastal Climate Change: A Guidebook for Development Planners (international) Local, regional, and state government guidebooks (domestic) Social Science to Improve Products and Services Understanding and improving how science is used in decision-making

Preparing Your Community Multihazard Mitigation Council: a public/private partnership designed to reduce the societal and economic costs of natural hazards Study Goal: “to fund an independent study to assess the future savings resulting from the various types of mitigation activities.” Study Finding: Grants are cost effective: $1 spent on mitigation saves society an average of $4

The Partnership Dimension: Internalizing Risk Creative partnerships to integrate climate information and planning tools Public housing Insurance industry Understanding cultural perceptions and what people value to promote risk-wise behavior Using tools and training to incentivize policy and behavior changes to encourage sustainability Raising the level of community understanding and interaction