There is a transition afoot – a movement to build more resilient communities. Different groups use different terms, such as sustainable, equitable, and thriving, but the premise is the same – we can boost the capacity of our communities to withstand and thrive in the face of a multitude of stressors, including climate change. Resilience is the ability to anticipate risk, reduce the impact, and bounce back after disruption.
Tonya Graham
I happened to be in Charlotte, North Carolina, a couple months ago at the National Association of Counties’ annual conference. The conference was held in the convention center, which also happens to be the home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame – something I was not aware of until providence deposited me on the doorstep of the convention center.
Every day I would make my way from my hotel to the convention center, walk through the doors, and be presented with the choice of whether to go to the conference or take a NASCAR tour. Walking past portraits of famous drivers with adaptation on my mind, I began to see NASCAR as a cultural anchor in terms of adaptation.
In 2008, the Geos Institute and The Resource Innovation Group (TRIG) joined forces to hold our first pilot project bringing climate science to local communities. The project was focused on the Rogue Basin of southwest Oregon – our own backyard. We experimented with bringing downscaled climate models to non-scientists in hopes of providing the information that was needed for communities to make sound decisions for the future.
We facilitated workshops for natural resource managers, community decision-makers, and experts in health, emergency management, business, and a variety of other fields. These early workshops were vital in the development of our ClimateWise program, which works to protect natural systems and vulnerable populations while creating Whole Community resilience.
Fast forward seven years and we are starting to see and feel many of the on-the-ground impacts that were projected in our 2008 report. Specifically, we have begun to experience economic impacts from smokey summers and snowless winters.