Pacific Southwest, Region 9
Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations
Clean Energy & Climate Change
— Adaptation
National Information
Regional Water Programs
National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change
The Strategy sets out long-term goals and specific actions that are EPA's contributions to national efforts to prepare for, and build resilience to, the impacts of a changing climate on water resources.
Climate Change Handbook for Regional Water Planning 
This new guide provides a framework for considering climate change in water management planning and was jointly prepared by the EPA, Calif. Department of Water Resources, Resources Legacy Fund, and the Corps of Engineers.
Adaptation is the way that we minimize damage and loss that could result from climate change by reducing the vulnerability of our natural and human systems.
In some places, governments are already engaged in significant adaptation actions. For example, low-lying islands, like those in Kiribati, have population relocation programs underway, as negotiated under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Many governments are now at the planning stage on adaptation strategies, considering climate change impacts for new infrastructure, building higher seawalls, planning for water shortages due to drought, and considering how to react to more rain and snow due to stronger storms.
Even if we are able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, many climate change effects will last for years to come. Adaptation is an important part of managing these impacts. The social and economic costs of adaptation to climate change will be substantial, especially in economically disadvantaged areas.
State Adaptation Activities
California's current adaptation strategy outlines a plan for managing a variety of climate change impacts, establishing working groups to review decisions ranging from species protection to wildfire to water supply management.
The Bay Area Ecosystems Climate Change Consortium brings together natural resource managers, scientists and others to collaboratively understand and reduce the negative impacts of climate change on Bay Area ecosystems and communities. In addition, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission is partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Coastal Services Center to work with Bay Area communities to begin planning for sea level rise. For Example, the Adapting to Rising Tides (ART) project brought community members together with local and state officials, to better understand how sea level rise and other climate change impacts will affect the Bay Area's ecosystems, infrastructure, and economy.
Hawaii's Coastal Zone Management Program is also building a comprehensive approach to climate change adaptation in the state.
Additional Resources
All links in this section exit EPA. 
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Special Report
- Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to
Advance
Climate Change Adaptation (SREX) - Georgetown Climate Center Adaptation Clearinghouse
- City of Chula Vista Climate Adaptation Plan
- Cal-Adapt Climate Change Adaptation Web Tool
- Pacific Islands Climate.org
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