Climate Adaptation Training for Coastal Communities is an interactive three-day training course providing planners with a climate adaptation toolkit to identify and address planning priorities in the context of community priorities. Course modules are taught by NOAA's Coastal Services Center training staff and local partners. After completing this course, planners will be able to: recognize the changes and variability in climate and its influence on coastal communities, to understand key elements to consider for assessing community vulnerability, to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of strategies for adaptation planning using various methods, and to identify opportunities to leverage a range of governance mechanisms to integrate adaptation strategies into their existing planning efforts.

Course Overview
DAY 1 – February 27
Introduction: Setting Your Course for Adaptation (9:00am – 12:30pm)
Participants will gain an understanding of adaptation planning concepts to address coastal climate change issues. Through a classroom exercise and a “field visit”, participants will learn the coastal context for and challenges of climate adaptation.

Climate Science: Comprehending Processes & Impacts of Climate (1:15pm – 4:30pm)
Participants will understand the human and natural influences on climate as well as climate’s impact on coastal communities and the natural environment.

DAY 2 – February 28
Vulnerability Assessment: Informing Adaptation Actions (9:00am – 12:30pm)
Participants will be able to identify the key elements to address when scoping a vulnerability assessment, identify and summarize salient information and data in a vulnerability assessment report, and use appropriate information and data from a vulnerability assessment to select and prioritize adaptation efforts.

Adaptation Planning: Identifying and Assessing Adaptation Measures (1:15pm – 4:30pm)
Participants will learn about a variety of adaptation measures and how to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. Participants will apply this knowledge to create a short list of adaptation measures targeting their climate issue statement.

DAY 3 – March 1
Climate Communication: Applying Communication Research to be Effective (9:00am – 11:45am)
Participants will learn effective communication hints and tips for communicating about their climate adaptation efforts. From an overview of recent climate communication research, participants will apply these concepts and findings to develop a compelling message to communicate with their target population.

Implementation: Turning Strategies Into Action (12:30pm – 4:00pm)
Through an exchange of expertise and information in a highly interactive exercise, participants will be able to identify solutions to different climate adaptation issues and a range of opportunities to move adaptation strategies forward.

Instructors:

Michael Shelton

Gwen Shaughnessy

(1 Ratings)