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Preparing for climate change in Washington State

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Abstract

Climate change is expected to bring potentially significant changes to Washington State’s natural, institutional, cultural, and economic landscape. Addressing climate change impacts will require a sustained commitment to integrating climate information into the day-to-day governance and management of infrastructure, programs, and services that may be affected by climate change. This paper discusses fundamental concepts for planning for climate change and identifies options for adapting to the climate impacts evaluated in the Washington Climate Change Impacts Assessment. Additionally, the paper highlights potential avenues for increasing flexibility in the policies and regulations used to govern human and natural systems in Washington.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. JISAO/CSES Climate Impacts Group, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195-5672, USA

    Lara C. Whitely Binder, Marketa McGuire Elsner, Jeremy S. Littell & Nathan Mantua

  2. Kathy and Steve Berman Environmental Law Clinic, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195-3020, USA

    Jennifer Krencicki Barcelos, Meriel Darzen, Thomas F. Graham, John Hodges-Howell, Jennifer Marlow & Michael Robinson-Dorn

  3. Stillwater Consultants, Berkeley, CA, 94705, USA

    Derek B. Booth

  4. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195-7234, USA

    Richard Fenske

  5. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195-2700, USA

    Alan F. Hamlet, Patrick W. Keys, Eric A. Rosenberg & Julie A. Vano

  6. School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195-7230, USA

    J. Elizabeth Jackson

  7. Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195-6320, USA

    Catherine Karr

  8. College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195-2100, USA

    Don McKenzie

  9. Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-6120, USA

    Claudio O. Stöckle

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  1. Lara C. Whitely Binder
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  2. Jennifer Krencicki Barcelos
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  3. Derek B. Booth
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  4. Meriel Darzen
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  5. Marketa McGuire Elsner
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  6. Richard Fenske
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  10. J. Elizabeth Jackson
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  11. Catherine Karr
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  14. Nathan Mantua
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  15. Jennifer Marlow
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  16. Don McKenzie
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  17. Michael Robinson-Dorn
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  18. Eric A. Rosenberg
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  19. Claudio O. Stöckle
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  20. Julie A. Vano
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Correspondence to Lara C. Whitely Binder.

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Binder, L.C.W., Barcelos, J.K., Booth, D.B. et al. Preparing for climate change in Washington State. Climatic Change 102, 351–376 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-010-9850-5

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