This Workbook presents a guide to climate change adaptation planning based on EPA’s experience with watershed management, the National Estuary Program and the Climate Ready Estuaries program. The Workbook will assist organizations that manage environmental resources to prepare a broad, risk-based adaptation plan.

The audience for this Workbook is professionals at organizations that manage environmental resources, especially organizations with a coastal or watershed focus. They are knowledgeable about their systems but not necessarily sophisticated about climate science or risk management. They may be addressing a myriad of issues that require immediate attention and have limited time to focus on adaptation planning for the future. Furthermore, they may need to adapt to climate change impacts within their organization’s existing resources. Despite these challenges, managers who realize that climate change will affect their ability to meet their goals will see the need to incorporate climate change risk into their planning.   

The Workbook presents a step-by-step application of a risk management methodology to climate change adaptation. By taking a risk-based approach to assessing vulnerability, users have a formal way to choose among adaptation actions. Selected actions are not simply beneficial, they rise to the top because they will be best for reducing risk.

 [Document Description By the Environmental Protection Agency: http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-09/documents/being_prepared_workbook_508.pdf]