Vulnerability to climate change is exacerbated by other stresses such as pollution, habitat fragmentation, and poverty. Adaptation to multiple stresses requires assessment of the composite threats as well as tradeoffs amongst costs, benefits, and risks of available options.

This finding is from chapter 28 of Climate Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment.

Process for developing key messages: A central component of the process were bi-weekly technical discussions held from October 2011 to June 2012 via teleconference that focused on collaborative review and summary of all technical inputs relevant to adaptation (130+) as well as additional published literature, the iterative development of key messages, and the final drafting of the chapter. An in-person meeting was held in Washington, D.C., in June 2012. Meeting discussions were followed by expert deliberation of draft key messages by the authors and targeted consultation with additional experts by the lead author of each key message. Consensus was reached on all key messages and supporting text.

Description of evidence base: The key message and supporting text summarize extensive evidence documented in the peer-reviewed literature as well as the more than 130 technical inputs received and reviewed as part of the Federal Register Notice solicitation for public input. Climate change is only one of a multitude of stresses affecting social, environmental, and economic systems. Activity to date and literature profiling those activities support the need for climate adaptation activity to integrate the concerns of multiple stresses in decision-making and planning.39793ad8-948e-4538-8945-bffed7d61769 06a53f5f-3202-4a61-b990-2115eb25c28f afaa6c76-9d9e-4238-9346-2cfefd6bb2b5 As evidenced by activities to date, integrating multiple stresses into climate adaptation decision-making and vice versa will require the assessment of tradeoffs amongst costs, benefits, the risks of available options, and the potential value of outcomes.f0803451-5a89-474a-974f-99c13fdc725d c9647af9-db7f-4f6a-89bd-2f2293ad26e5 3a96983c-927c-4c21-b186-df344ed581bf Additional citations are used in the text of the chapter to substantiate this key message.

New information and remaining uncertainties: n/a

Assessment of confidence based on evidence: n/a

References :

• Climate Change and Infrastructure, Urban Systems, and Vulnerabilities. Technical Report to the U.S. Department of Energy in Support of the National Climate Assessment (f0803451)
• Preparing for an Uncertain Climate. Volume I and II (OTA-O-567; OTA-O-568) (afaa6c76)
• Gulf Coast Climate Needs Assessment Interviews (3a96983c)
• Coastal Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerabilities: A Technical Input to the 2013 National Climate Assessment (c9647af9)
• Understanding Multiple Environmental Stresses: Report of a Workshop (06a53f5f)
• Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (39793ad8)