In the USA you can’t call it climate change. You can refer to climate variability or climate weirding when discussing the more extreme climatic phenomena seen in recent decades, but its not climate change.

It didn’t take long to realise the US is going nowhere with climate change planning. They are too busy arguing about whether its actually happening, whether it’s human induced, whether it’s a conspiracy.  This was my first observation on the climate change game in the USA.

I’m sorry America but the Earth’s climate is changing. Human activity is changing the climate, the science shows it. The warmest years on record are all in the last 12 years. Increased droughts and more frequent flooding, longer harsher winters and huge wildfires, more hurricanes and tornadoes.

There are pockets of believers. Many  local government types are supporters of climate change.

“We are already seeing the effects of climate change’ stated Cindy Kemper Environment Director Johnson County.   Parts of Kansas State haven’t seen rain for months. The tall grasson the prairie was not even a foot high, whereas

N Wood

Dry lake bed, Flint Hills Kansas.

it should be  5foot at this time of year. The fall is happening later and more abruptly.  In both cases this is because of the unseasonally dry summer and fall. 

At the man on the street  level there is appreciation of differences in weather and extremes of the season.  But country-wide the majority of the US is still in climate change apathy or complete climate change denial.

Is it because the US is so car orientated? That any changes to a lifestyle dependant on fossil fuels are too horrific to consider? There are alternative fuel options guys….

My second observation was that US councils are busy measuring and counting GHG levels for their city and looking for ways to mitigate. Numerous city councils have GHG reduction targets- i.e. Lawerence City aims to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050. In New Zealand game play has moved on from perfecting our GHG figure to adaption. (I think this revelation was a light bulb moment for Dave Corliss City Administrator at Lawerence.)

“But how can you adapt to climate change when no one knows whats going to happen??” asked a bewildered Eric Wade, City Administrator at Lenexa City. In Wellington we are adapting plans, policies and assets to the most recent predicted changes -based on IPCC’s 4th Report 2007.

US local government focus on mitigation leads to my third observation; green changes – home energy efficiency, water reuse, waste reduction, buying local- of which there are lots of, are for economic benefits rather than the green credentials. Whether public or private the question is not how green is this move but how long will it take to pay for itself.  Some organisations are highlighting the benefits for the environment. But generally it isn’t for green credentials (or heavans forbid claimte change reasons) its for financial (the other green) benefits.

So how does this all work for a climate change exchange?? Good question.

Over the month of being here I’ve asked about climate change considerations and adaptations, especially sea level rise, in local government projects and, the not heard any actual examples.

From Seattle to Washington its not readily known how much sea level rise is expected for the varying coastal cities.

N Wood

Hart Millar Island welcome sign

At Hart- Millar Islands (dredged material confinement facility)in Chesapeake Bay, in answer to the question has sea level rise been considered in the islands design George Harman, port engineer to the project since the 1970’s replied “theres a lot of rock round the edge of this island”.  Indeed an 18m high amourstone wall contains the dredgings, which has been built to a 1 in a 100 year design standard- allowing for a 8-10 foot increase in water level. However  they’ve had 3  100 year events in the last year!! 

In land, away from the changing sea level, council officers were equally as unknowledgable as to what changes to expect, let alone how to start adapting assets, ordinances and codes.

And the finale of the trip; a visit to our hosts the US State Department. Even there in a meeting solely for the climate change fellows programmes, the officials couldn’t outline their Climate Change policy. There is one we were assured, just they couldn’t tell us what it is…..

So how does US local government engage, not the community, but the federal government to start considering climate change? This is a question we were asked by many city council officers across the USA. 

The answer –small steps; the science is out there, the effects predicted for America are out there, the support from other countries who have started to act is out there.

As I write this its snowing outside. Not a dusting either; over a foot in places.

N Wood

October snow in NYC

Theres a lot of exclamation to how early the snow is. Its only the third time its snowed in October since records began in the 1870s.’ A state of emergency has been declared as 3million homes are without power from Maine to Massachusetts and at least 5 people dead. 

Climate change? Game on!!