US Plans On Climate Adaptation Still Lacks Implementation

Despite properly detailed plans and well-researched studies on climate change adaptation, the United States is still performing poorly in implementing these actions to address the changing climate. An analysis made by the University of Michigan revealed that proper strategies are in place but implementation is lacking.

According to Science Daily, the University of Michigan, along with researchers from the University of North Carolina, studied 44 local climate-change adaptation plans in the country. They discovered that U.S. communities have done great in infrastructure and ecosystem protection planning.

However, something unfavorable was also observed from the study. The scientists found that communities in the United States failed to prioritize these adaptation measures and implement them in the society.

Failure To Implement Methods For Climate Change Initiatives

"This raises concerns about whether adaptation plans, which often involve years of development, will translate into on-the-ground projects that help communities prepare for climate change," lead author Sierra Woodruff said. She and co-author Missy Stults said the country should be more prepared since effects of climate change are expected to get worse in the coming years.

Science Daily highlighted that impacts of the changing climate vary from one place to another. In the U.S., it can result to very hot summers, heavy downpour, flooding and rising sea levels. "We hope that our findings lead to higher-quality adaptation plans and to more resilient communities," Stults noted.

U.S. Aims To Lead In Addressing Climate Change

The Hill said the country is hoping to be the leader among other countries in addressing the climate change issue. It signed last week the Paris Climate Change Accord, which is an agreement signed by almost 200 countries hoping to fight global climate change.

But the release of this recent analysis highlighted that the country still needs to do so much more in their effort to address climate change. According to the research authors, the plans in US communities do not address "uncertainties" with the impacts of climate change.

It was added in the Science Daily report that some plans could also turn out to be ineffective and would not result to effective adaptation techniques. Woodruff and Stults also noted that the plans of municipal officers were even better than those produced by government agencies.