In the context of climate change adaptation, many people assume that climate change must be a focal element of their problem statement or of their goals and objectives. I put this piece together for a class I’m helping to teach to emphasize that while climate change is sometimes central to problem framing or to goals and objectives, there are many other ways climate change may enter into a decision process. Even if the core problem or the goals and objectives do not center on climate change, climate change may still be important to the decision process.
Ways climate change may influence various steps of the decision process
- Climate change may create new problems or lead to different problem framing
a. Climate change may directly or indirectly be the trigger for a decision
b. Climate change may affect the scale of the decision, the actual or perceived constraints on the decision, and the uncertainties associated with the decision. - Climate change may inspire new goals or objectives.
a. Responding to climate change may become a central objective
b. Climate change may inspire decision-makers to re-examine and either confirm or revise existing objectives.
c. Climate change may influence the designated metrics for an objective, for example in the case of proxy metrics where the connection between the objective and the proxy could be affected by climatic factors. - Climate change may affect the creation or acceptability of alternatives
a. Actions previously thought of as too extreme may become acceptable; impracticable actions may become possible as conditions change.
b. Previously plausible options may become infeasible. - Climate change may affect the consequences of various alternatives.
a. Some alternatives’ costs and effectiveness may change as a result of climate change or human or ecosystem responses to it.
b. There may be added opportunity costs in terms of lost flexibility to shift strategies or approaches as conditions change - Climate change may affect the relative weight or importance given to different criteria or objectives.
a. Thinking about or experiencing the effects of climatic changes or extremes may cause people to give added importance to some criteria or consequences. - Climate change may affect the perceived value of various resources.
a. For example, as floods become more frequent and severe in some places, the ability of marshes and wetlands to mitigate flood risk may become increasingly valued.
Does this resonate with your experience? Feel free to chime in with examples, observations, or insights.