Resilience Dialogues

The Resilience Dialogues is a public-private collaboration that works to build climate-resilient communities through facilitated dialogues among scientists, practitioners, and community leaders.

Since 2016, 18 communities have participated in the Resilience Dialogues:

2016:

• Coral Gables, FL
• Dubuque, IA
• Knoxville, TN
• Minneapolis, MN
• Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) / Kansas City Metro Area

2017:

• Antioch, CA
• Boynton Beach, FL
• Bridgeport, CT
• East Lansing, MI
• Hallandale Beach, FL
• Menominee Reservation
• Mt. Shasta, CA
• San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, CA
• Savannah, GA
• Whitefish, MT

2018:

• Anchorage, AK
• Bradford County, FL
• Carlisle, PA
• Charlton-Pollard Neighborhood Association (Beaumont, TX)
• Nashua, NH
• Winters, CA

Communities of all types – towns, cities, tribal nations, regional compacts, and more – face risks from climate variability and change, including changing patterns of extreme weather events, shifting growing seasons, more river and coastal flooding, less available water, and greater exposure to wildfires. They want and need to learn how to reduce these risks and build community resilience – to prepare for and recover from these stresses, minimize disruptions to daily life, and even reorganize to thrive in the face of changing conditions. A wealth of scientific information, data, and tools exists that could help manage these risks and integrate climate variability and change into a broad range of planning, engagement, and decision-making activities. However, many communities are often uncertain how to begin, what this information means for them, and where to turn for trustworthy advice. Smaller, isolated, or historically underserved communities especially want personalized technical assistance and to connect with experts who could help them understand their vulnerabilities and what future resilience might look like where they live.

To help meet this growing need, the Resilience Dialogues uses a professionally facilitated, online process to connect community leaders to a network of vetted national experts and helps them work together to understand risks and lay the groundwork for long-term resilience. These online discussions can clarify local risks and opportunities, share strategies that have worked in other communities, identify the most relevant and useful data, tools, and networks, and build shared commitment to future plans and actions.

The Resilience Dialogues is flexible enough to assist:

• Local governments assessing vulnerability in their communities while promoting economic growth
• Community organizations seeking to engage diverse voices in resilience planning
• County managers looking for in-depth consultation on a focused topic
• Urban planners seeking appropriate resources to plan for resilience
• Private sector stakeholders working to safeguard long-term infrastructure investments
• Public health professionals examining health risks from weather and climate extremes

Regardless of how the conversation starts, the Resilience Dialogues process ultimately aims to include the full fabric of the community.

Communities leave the Resilience Dialogues with a synthesis report that summarizes the key vulnerabilities, opportunities and resources for climate resilience planning identified. In addition, local governments develop:

• A set of well-articulated questions about their community’s vulnerabilities and threats to address in assessment and planning effort
• An expert-vetted, evidence-based, community-specific list of climate vulnerabilities and opportunities that can be used to anchor resilience and adaptation planning
• Connections to a large and vetted network of climate science, adaptation, and resilience experts
• A community-centered, expert-reviewed compilation of tools and resources that can facilitate next steps toward the development of holistic resilience plans (i.e. of all the tools, resources and datasets out there, which are most appropriate for addressing your community’s questions, opportunities, and vulnerabilities)
• Strategies for to engaging more of the community in resilience planning
• A set of next steps for resilience planning, along with a list of potential partners for each of those steps.

For More Information:

Communities and Experts Collaborate for Climate Resilience(AGU’s Eos) – 07/11/2017

Public-Private Partnerships Contribute to Resilience Dialogues’ Successful Beta Phase (AGU Blog) – 07/11/2017

Can Networked Knowledge Help Communities Thrive on a Turbulent Planet? (Dot Earth, New York Times) – 10/31/2016

Obama Administration Outlines Path For Climate Change Resiliency (Huffington Post) – 10/31/2016

The Resilience Dialogues: Connecting Communities with Scientists and Practitioners (White House Office of Science and Technology Blog Post) – 10/31/2016

Fact Sheet: Launching the Resilience Dialogues – 10/31/2016

Fact Sheet: Obama Administration Highlights Opportunities for Building Community Climate Resilience across the Nation – 10/31/2016

American Geophysical Union & Partners Launch Community Climate Resilience Program with the office of Science and Technology Policy (AGU Press Release) – 10/31/2016

AGU’s TEX Program to Lead Climate Effort Launched by White House (AGU’s Eos) – 10/31/2016

Resilience Dialogues participants get together at the 2017 National Adaptation Forum in St. Paul, MN.

The Resilience Dialogues is a public-private collaboration that works to build climate-resilient communities through facilitated dialogues among scientists, practitioners, and community leaders. The American Society of Adaptation Professionals and the U.S. Global Change Research Program work in close coordination on the design, development, and implementation of this effort, along with support from the American Geophysical Union’s Thriving Earth Exchange, the Meridian Institute, and other public and private entities.