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Miller, Sally

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Master of Regional Planning graduate - 2013
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Miller
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Sally
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Geographic Information Sciences
Urban Studies and Planning
Urban, Community and Regional Planning
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Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
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    Publication
    From Indicators to Action: Evaluating the Usefulness of Indicators to Move from Regional Climate Change Assessment to Local Adaptation Implementation
    (2013-01-01) Miller, Sally
    As the effects of climate change become increasingly damaging and costly, a public and political consensus is building for planning that will protect private property and public infrastructure. Climate-related planning has primarily focused on mitigation, assessing vulnerability, and building adaptive capacity. Adaptation has not gained substantial ground in the area of implementation. The uncertainty associated with climate change projection and variability has emerged as a dominant barrier to adaptation. However, as knowledge accrues, the global and national science communities have been developing more detailed, fine-scale climate projections. Regional climate assessments are available for the sub-national climate regions in the U.S., and have been created based on the measurement of many components of climate, often referred to as indicators. This thesis evaluates the use of those and other indicators as adaptation decision support tools. Findings suggest that indicators can be effectively integrated into a step-wise, risk-based adaptation planning process to overcome barriers to adaptation, many of which contain concern over climate change uncertainty at their core. The combination of climate science data and information about the local experience of climate change are found to be key to the effective use of indicators in adaptation, as is the direct integration of indicators into the policy-making process. Ideally, these indicators can be used to inform trigger points for phases in a flexible adaptation approach, but more work is needed to develop methods for managing the risks and costs associated with adaptation.
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    Publication
    Climate Change Adaptation Chapter: Marshfield, Massachusetts
    (2012-12-01) Chase, Joshua H.; Cooper, Jonathan G.; Fitzgerald, Rory Elizabeth; Lima, Filipe Antunes; Miller, Sally R.; Pignatelli, Toni Marie
    Climate change, understood as a statistically significant variation in the mean state of the climate or its variability, is the greatest environmental challenge of this generation (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2001). Marshfield is already being affected by changes in the climate that will have a profound effect on the town’s economy, public health, coastal resources, natural features, water systems, and public and private infrastructure. Adaptation strategies have been widely recognized as playing an important role in improving a community’s ability to respond to climate stressors by resisting damage and recovering quickly. Based on review of climate projections for the region, we developed a projection of likely climate changes for Marshfield. By the year 2100, Marshfield can expect sea level rise of approximately two feet, 16 - 30 more days with heat over 90 degrees in summers, and increased precipitation in the winters. Along with this will come more severe and frequent flood events. Three key strategies were identified as top priority changes that Marshfield can enact when considering adaptation planning methods: a living shorelines treatment, pervious pavement installation, and a building elevation grant program. A matrix of additional strategies was also generated that addresses a range of sectors.