Increasing resilience and enhancing adaptive capacity provide opportunities to strengthen water resources management and plan for climate change impacts. Many institutional, scientific, economic, and political barriers present challenges to implementing adaptive strategies.

This finding is from chapter 3 of Climate Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment.

Process for developing key messages: The chapter author team engaged in multiple technical discussions via teleconferences from March – June 2012. These discussions followed a thorough review of the literature, which included an inter-agency prepared foundational document,50d47cc1-5a16-4f5c-bb08-bf6f475a5bb8 over 500 technical inputs provided by the public, as well as other published literature. The author team met in Seattle, Washington, in May, 2012 for expert deliberation of draft key messages by the authors wherein each message was defended before the entire author team before this key message was selected for inclusion in the Chapter. These discussions were supported by targeted consultation with additional experts by the lead author of each message, and they were based on criteria that help define “key vulnerabilities.” Key messages were further refined following input from the NCADAC report integration team and authors of Ch. 2: Our Changing Climate.

Description of evidence base: The key message and supporting chapter text summarizes extensive evidence documented in the inter-agency prepared foundational document50d47cc1-5a16-4f5c-bb08-bf6f475a5bb8 and over 500 technical inputs on a wide range of topics that were received as part of the Federal Register Notice solicitation for public input. There are many examples of adaptive strategies for water infrastructure f0803451-5a89-474a-974f-99c13fdc725d e0ef030a-67cc-4e80-bc36-0c5b38565145 6fbd8a7e-0ceb-4f8f-8ebe-5b8598c72ac9 bc45ac03-924e-4c1e-b681-44e4c1856ca7 as well as strategies for demand management, land-use and watershed management, and use of “green” infrastructure.50d47cc1-5a16-4f5c-bb08-bf6f475a5bb8 f0803451-5a89-474a-974f-99c13fdc725d e0ef030a-67cc-4e80-bc36-0c5b38565145 01b45a4a-2021-405d-a65b-2340e9ca9677 cdc46684-79a4-4ea6-ac34-c4abff592f95 Building adaptive capacity ultimately increases the ability to develop and implement adaptation strategies and is considered a no-regrets strategy.50d47cc1-5a16-4f5c-bb08-bf6f475a5bb8 e5126ec0-750d-4efb-b5ca-ccabb47026fc Building networks, partnerships, and support systems has been identified as a major asset in building adaptive capacity (Ch. 26: Decision Support; Ch. 28: Adaptation).6e2fb7ae-1d84-42c3-b9eb-a215a8c1be86 Water utility associations have undertaken original research to better understand the implications of climate change on behalf of some of the largest municipal water utilities in the United States.c2993ef6-7aac-4188-994f-22f85d55738a 51dc7841-5ccd-4b5f-a5b3-637b8b3fd24f 6f89df4a-1f6e-4b01-9bf2-9b428ba14013 f3b4b39d-37b1-417a-979a-11b1ebaff6b7 Challenges include “stationarity” no longer being reliable as the central assumption in water-resource planning f488c83c-384f-49d0-b701-cf9ffc858130; considerable uncertainties; insufficient actionable science ready for practical application; the challenges of stakeholder engagement; and a lack of agreement on “post-stationarity” paradigms on which to base water laws, regulations, and policies.c52f2539-9c5e-4ead-b8b7-f1884c5d662e Water administrators may find it necessary to develop more flexible water rights and regulations.e0ef030a-67cc-4e80-bc36-0c5b38565145 3d713826-73c9-44d9-b3a0-45de73e93450 c95237bc-7d04-4c92-bb83-4a9d8ac3eaed

New information and remaining uncertainties: Jurisdictions at the state and local levels are addressing climate change related legal and institutional issues on an individual basis. An ongoing assessment of these efforts may show more practical applications.

Assessment of confidence based on evidence: Confidence is very high that increasing resilience and enhancing adaptive capacity provide opportunities to strengthen water resources management and plan for climate change impacts. Confidence is very high that many institutional, scientific, economic, and political barriers present challenges to implementing adaptive strategies.

References :

• Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2011: Revealing Risk, Redefining Development (6fbd8a7e)
• Water Resources Sector Technical Input Report in Support of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, National Climate Assessment - 2013 (50d47cc1)
• How to take climate change into account: A guidance document for judges adjudicating water disputes (3d713826)
• Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments: Four Case Studies of Water Utility Practices (c2993ef6)
• Engaging Climate-Sensitive Sectors in the Carolinas. Technical Report: CISA-2012-03: Carolinas Integrated Sciences and Assessments (6e2fb7ae)
• Selected Climate-Change Related Water Sector References, Technical Input 2011-0057 to the National Climate Assessment, 2012 (f3b4b39d)
• Assessment of Climate Change in the Southwest United States (e5126ec0)
• 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)
• U.S. Cities and Climate Change: Urban, Infrastructure, and Vulnerability Issues, Technical Input Report Series, U.S. National Climate Assessment 2011-0101 (01b45a4a)
• Climate change and water resources management: A federal perspective. U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1331 (e0ef030a)
• Florida Water Management and Adaptation in the Face of Climate Change (c95237bc)
• Options for Improving Climate Modeling to Assist Water Utility Planning for Climate Change (6f89df4a)
• The End of Reliability (bc45ac03)
• 'Stationarity is dead'-long live transformation: Five principles for climate change adaptation law (f488c83c)
• Decision Support Planning Methods: Incorporating Climate Change Uncertainties Into Water Planning. Water Utility Climate Alliance White Paper (51dc7841)
• Adapting to flood risk under climate change (cdc46684)
• CLIMATE CHANGE: Stationarity Is Dead: Whither Water Management? (c52f2539)