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Drivers of adaptation: Responses to weather- and climate-related hazards in 60 local governments in the Intermountain Western U.S

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  • Lisa Dilling
  • Elise Pizzi
  • John Berggren
  • Ashwin Ravikumar
  • Krister Andersson

Abstract

Cities are key sites of action for adaptation to climate change. However, there are a wide variety of responses to hazards at the municipal level. Why do communities take adaptive action in the face of weather- and climate-related risk? We studied what cities are doing in response to existing natural hazards, such as floods, droughts, and blizzards as an analog for understanding the drivers of adaptive behavior toward climate change risks. We conducted a survey of 60 U.S. municipalities followed by six in-depth case studies in the intermountain west states of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah that regularly experience weather and climate extreme events. Our analysis shows that perception of risk and external factors such as planning requirements and availability of funding stand out as important drivers. Nevertheless, political action is rarely driven by a single factor or event. Overall, our results suggest that multiple factors interact or act in combination to produce an enabling environment for action in the face of weather- and climate-related risk.

Suggested Citation

  • Lisa Dilling & Elise Pizzi & John Berggren & Ashwin Ravikumar & Krister Andersson, 2017. "Drivers of adaptation: Responses to weather- and climate-related hazards in 60 local governments in the Intermountain Western U.S," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 49(11), pages 2628-2648, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:49:y:2017:i:11:p:2628-2648
    DOI: 10.1177/0308518X16688686
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    Cited by:

    1. Edward P. Gardiner & David D. Herring & James F. Fox, 2019. "The U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit: evidence of progress," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 153(4), pages 477-490, April.
    2. Patricio Valdivieso & Krister P. Andersson, 2018. "What Motivates Local Governments to Invest in Critical Infrastructure? Lessons from Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-27, October.
    3. Katrina Brown & Larissa A. Naylor & Tara Quinn, 2017. "Making Space for Proactive Adaptation of Rapidly Changing Coasts: A Windows of Opportunity Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-17, August.
    4. Ravi Jagannathan & Ashwin Ravikumar & Marco Sammon, 2017. "Environmental, Social, and Governance Criteria: Why Investors are Paying Attention," NBER Working Papers 24063, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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