Leading Practices in Climate Adaptation

Abstract:

To ensure water utilities are positioned to respond to climate change and protect water supplies, the Water Utility Climate Alliance (WUCA), an organization comprised of 12 of the nation's largest water providers, has been dedicated to enhancing climate change research and improving water management decision-making. In particular, over the past decade, WUCA has been working on climate adaptation field building by uncovering ways to build adaptation capacity and incorporate new climate science into water management and planning. WUCA’s experiences come from activities and products developed by the Alliance’s members, often in partnership with climate scientists, hydrologists and decision scientists, from across the United States, which represent a range of decision-making processes, risk profiles, and geographical contexts, as well as collaborative action as an alliance. These experiences, which we will highlight as a set of Leading Practices, are deeply rooted in a willingness to innovate and learn from what worked, and, importantly, what did not. Through sustained effort and supportive peer learning, these collective experiences offer a practical path forward for developing and implementing climate change adaptation actions more effectively.