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Friday, 3:30pm

This panel discussion will focus on understanding the issues facing socially vulnerable communities in the context of climate change. The panel focuses on strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation that rural communities can use in addressing climate change.

This panel will:

• Frame the issues around poverty, capacity, and disaster risk and how to assist vulnerable populations.
• Highlight what we've learned from wildfire and how that relates to climate change.
• Discuss current research on climate change and social vulnerability.
• Frame social and economic benefits to vulnerable populations and low-capacity communities that may be derived from mitigation and adaptation policies and programs, including emerging carbon markets.
• Recognize the increased risks (costs) to vulnerable populations and low capacity communities if they are excluded from mitigation and adaptation policies and programs, including emerging carbon markets.
• Present current policy framework at national and regional level, as well as opportunities to engage.
• Discuss opportunities for rural, and socially vulnerable communities to engage in national and regional policy forums.

Speakers

• Kathy Lynn, Associate Director, Resources Innovations
  Climate change and social vulnerability
  
• Gerry Gray, Vice President of Policy, American Forests
  

Recommended Readings

“Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.” Contribution of Working Group II to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report. 
Great resource for an overview on adaptation assessment, importance of action; and citations for additional articles.

Resilience Alliance
Provides definitions  for adaptive capacity, resilience, adaptive capacity and adaptive management. Offers links to applicable research and resources.

Natural Resources Canada, Climate Impacts and Adaptation
Offers information and many resources on adaptation. Visit the “Research Database” page, particularly “Communities”.

Ecosystem Workforce Program Climate Change Web Resources page

 “Adapting to Climate Change: Social-Ecological Resilience in a Canadian Western Arctic Community.” Ecology and Society 5, no. 2 (2001): 18.
Fikret Berkes and Dyanna Jolly and examine social adaptation and resilience in the rural, resource-linked Canadian Arctic where residents have been monitoring climate change since the 1990s. They consider short-term (response to change; coping) and longer-term (variability and uncertainty) adaptation strategies and their cultural and ecological bases, and governance structure as part of adaptive capacity; introduces sustainability science as a methodology and demonstrates great participatory research.

“Does Adaptive Management of Natural Resources Enhance Resilience to Climate Change?” Ecology and Society 9, no. 2 (2004): 10.
Emma Tompkins and Neil Adger consider building resilience in ecological and human systems (coastal management in Trinidad and Tobago) as effective adaptation to climate change (variability and uncertainty). They review the importance of community-based decision making, social learning and networks in climate change adaptation.

Additional Resources

Flora, Cornelia Butler, Jan L. Flora with Susan Fey. 2004. Rural Communities: Legacy and Change— Second ed. Boulder: Westview Press.
Provides understanding for six types of capitals: cultural, human, social, financial/built, natural and political; and their use in creating social change.

Kelly, P.M., and W.N. Adger. 2000. Theory and Practice in Assessing Vulnerability to Climate Change and Facilitating Adaptation. Climate Change 47, no. 4:325-352.

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Gerry Gray

Gerry Gray is Vice President for Policy and oversees the Forest Policy Center at American Forests.  He has extensive experience working on policy issues related to the restoration, protection, and management of public and private forests. Since the mid-1990s, his policy work has focused on advancing community-based forestry and helping to bring the voices of local and regional partners to the national policy arena.  In addition, Gerry has worked on issues related to forests and climate change and forest-based ecosystem services.

Prior to joining American Forests in 1988, Gerry worked as a state forest resource planner with the Division of Forestry, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and with the U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area, State and Private Forestry.  He holds a Doctor of Forestry degree from the University of Minnesota (1987), a Master of Forest Science from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (1982), and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University (1978).

Kathy Lynn

Kathy Lynn is Associate Director of Resource Innovations. Since 2003, Kathy has focused on working with rural communities and Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest to understand their risk to wildfire, ability to access fire-related programs, and build capacity to reduce wildfire risk. Kathy led the development of the Josephine County Integrated Fire Plan and has provided technical assistance to Jackson and Clackamas Counties. Kathy also created a framework for community fire plans that was adopted and distributed by the Oregon Department of Forestry in the fall of 2004. Kathy has a Master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon in 2001. Kathy also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Haiti from 1996 to 1999.