Utility Resilience: Lessons from Puerto Rico and Local Preparation
UMass Club 32nd Floor, 1 Beacon St, Boston, MAAdapting utilities to be resilient to climate impacts, from extreme storm events to heatwaves, poses significant challenges and opportunities for providers and communities. Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017 and resulted in the longest blackout in U.S. History. The Forum welcomes Malu Blázquez Arsuaga, the Executive Director of the Resilient Puerto Rico Advisory Commission,…
The ‘R’ Word: Retreat, Relocation and Climate Resilience
UMass Club 32nd Floor, 1 Beacon St, Boston, MAClimate adaptation efforts are often focused on armoring the built environment against climate risks. But given dire climate projections and the costs associated with retrofits and rebuilding, retreat and relocation should be part of the conversation as well. Join the Climate Adaptation Forum for a discussion about retreat, relocation, and climate resilience. Speakers will touch…
Managed Retreat Workshop: Legal and Policy Tools for States and Local Communities
UMass Club 32nd Floor, 1 Beacon St, Boston, MAOrganized by the Georgetown Climate Center (GCC) and the Climate Adaptation Forum, this workshop will offer participants the opportunity to engage in a facilitated discussion on managed retreat (i.e. relocating development from vulnerable coastal areas) and the legal and policy considerations impacting land-use decisions and human and natural resources movements in response to sea-level rise.…
Disruptive Climate, Disruptive Technologies
UMass Club 32nd Floor, 1 Beacon St, Boston, MAClimate change is disruptive. Lives and livelihoods from the world’s oceans to its deserts are already impacted and the disruption will continue into the foreseeable future. As we struggle with how to mitigate emissions and stem the tide of change, the business of climate change adaptation and resilience continues to grow in importance. Within this…
Changing Climate, Changing Health: Strategies for Addressing Public Health in the Age of Climate Change
UMass Club 32nd Floor, 1 Beacon St, Boston, MAThe public health field is rapidly shifting to incorporate the new realities of climate impacts. From extreme heat waves to the growing prevalence of diseases, issues with water quality, trauma from storms and allergy and asthma triggers, there are many challenges to address. While we are all vulnerable to this changes, low income communities and…
Building Climate Resilience into Infrastructure
UMass Club 32nd Floor, 1 Beacon St, Boston, MAThe undeniable reality of climate change has forced planners of infrastructure projects to design for increased temperatures, wind and water in the near future and farther on. This forum presents speakers grappling with how to incorporate climate resilience into planning, financing and maintaining infrastructure systems. Keynote Speaker Jesse Keenan is a social scientist and a…
Underwater Underwriting: Flood Insurance in the Age of Climate Change
UMass Club 32nd Floor, 1 Beacon St, Boston, MAMore than 50 million people in the U.S. are at risk from flooding either along rivers and streams or in coastal areas. This number is only rising as climate change causes more extreme precipitation, hurricanes and nor’easters, sea level rise, and more. However, current publicly available flood risk assessment tools are not sufficient to quantify…
Building Resilience: Linking Covid-19 and Climate Change
Virtual EventCollaborating Partner John Snow, Inc. The Covid-19 pandemic is disrupting life unlike anything most of the world has ever seen. While there is little evidence that the pandemic is spreading more quickly because of climate change there are clear parallels between the two crises. Join the Environmental Business Council, the Sustainable Solutions Lab at the…
How We Decide to Get Serious about Climate Solutions: Politics, Communication, and Framing
Virtual EventClimate change has evolved into a hot-button, politically charged issue whether you are on the right or left. Communicating messages across audiences is challenging not only because the threat has been politicized but because climate change is often not seen as the emergency it is. Join the Climate Adaptation Forum and our panel of national…
Climate Cocktails
Virtual EventJoin the Climate Adaptation Forum community for Climate Cocktails! Get to know and connect with like-minded people over a drink or two and stir up some climate action! Climate Cocktails will be held using the virtual platform Zoom. Breakout rooms allow the organizers to randomly create small groups and facilitate better, more engaging conversation. Participants…