Grantee Research Project Results
2017 Progress Report: Integrating Information from Climate Scientists and Resource Managers: Informing Preparedness and Adaptation to Extreme Event Impacts on Air and Water Quality in California
EPA Grant Number: R835194Title: Integrating Information from Climate Scientists and Resource Managers: Informing Preparedness and Adaptation to Extreme Event Impacts on Air and Water Quality in California
Investigators: Bedsworth, Louise W , Tebaldi, Claudia , Duffy, Philip B. , Preston, Benjamin , Meagher, Kelsey , Baker, Zeke , Klasic, Meghan
Current Investigators: Bedsworth, Louise W , Tebaldi, Claudia , Duffy, Philip B.
Institution: Public Policy Institute of California , Climate Central
Current Institution: Public Policy Institute of California , Climate Central , University of California - Davis
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: June 1, 2012 through May 31, 2015 (Extended to May 31, 2019)
Project Period Covered by this Report: June 1, 2017 through May 31,2018
Project Amount: $710,529
RFA: Extreme Event Impacts on Air Quality and Water Quality with a Changing Global Climate (2011) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Air Quality and Air Toxics , Water Quality , Water , Air , Climate Change
Objective:
This study has two primary elements. The survey component of the study component is designed to gather information from a large sample of resource managers in California. The follow-on interviews have been designed to build on the surveys and provide more detail on resource manager activities and perceptions of climate change and extreme events.
Progress Summary:
To date, we have completed a comprehensive survey of water agencies in California, finding there is major variation in how prepared they are for climate change impacts in addressing water quality. We found that groundwater and small systems are the least likely to be advanced in climate adaptation and also these are the systems that tend to have the least engagement, experience, and trust in science. Therefore, this group, especially the small systems is put at a major disadvantage for adapting to climate change. This is particularly concerning given that most climate science applicable to water management is conducted for or within large water utilities in California. Given that major low income rural residents rely on small water systems, they are put at greater risk of water quality issues from climate change impacts.
From the air quality survey, we found that air districts awareness of climate change is generally very high. But very little (mostly none) action has been taken in terms of adapting to climate change for air quality management. Climate mitigation is the main focus and respondents reported the need for leaders at the state and federal levels to develop policy or guidance to support local level efforts.
Using sociological approaches, analysis of the interviews with water resource managers show that there managers have distinct approaches to engaging with scientific information and that these can be explained by orientations toward the future (i.e., temporalities). The findings from this analysis were published in Environmental Sociology. In future analysis, we intend to apply this framework to results from the air quality work.
The surveys and interviews with resource managers provided information on how decision makers engage with science and information in decision making. This is the “bottom-up” perspective that was described in the proposal for this research project. To complete the analysis, we are developing a better understanding of how climate scientists approach research and the potential engagement with potential decision makers. This analysis will provide more information on the “top-down” perspective. To this end, we developed a survey that we administered to researchers who participated in the state-funded California climate change assessment and a population of researchers who have published research findings on climate change in California. The latter population was developed using a keyword search from the Scopus database. We have begun initial analysis of the results of the survey of climate scientists data and interviews to compliment these results are underway.
Future Activities:
Over the remaining portion of the grant, we plan to complete the following activities:
- We plan to complete the paper comparing available literature and stated decision maker needs (in preparation, Klasic et al)
- Finalize analysis of climate scientist survey results and prepare manuscript and submit for publication.
- Complete interviews with climate scientists and prepare analysis using sociological framework from Baker et al. (2018).
Journal Articles on this Report : 4 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 15 publications | 6 publications in selected types | All 6 journal articles |
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Bedsworth LW, Hanak E. Climate policy at the local level: insights from California. Global Environmental Change 2013;23(3):664-677. |
R835194 (2017) |
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Ekstrom JA, Bedsworth L, Fencl A. Gauging climate preparedness to inform adaptation needs:local level adaptation in drinking water quality in CA, USA. Climatic Change 2017;140(3-4):467-481. |
R835194 (2016) R835194 (2017) |
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Ekstrom JA, Bedsworth L. Adapting air quality management for a changing climate:Survey of local districts in California. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 2018;68(9):931-44. |
R835194 (2017) |
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Baker Z, Ekstrom J, Bedsworth L. Climate information? Embedding climate futures within temporalities of California water management. Environmental Sociology 2018;4(4):419-33. |
R835194 (2017) |
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Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.
Project Research Results
- Final Report
- 2016 Progress Report
- 2015 Progress Report
- 2014 Progress Report
- 2013 Progress Report
- 2012 Progress Report
- Original Abstract
6 journal articles for this project