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Fostering Resilience in the Face of an Uncertain Future: Using Scenario Planning to Communicate Climate Change Risks and Collaboratively Develop Adaptation Strategies

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Communicating Climate-Change and Natural Hazard Risk and Cultivating Resilience

Part of the book series: Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research ((NTHR,volume 45))

Abstract

Communicating about climate change is a serious challenge. There is an urgent need to develop effective processes at the local level to engage, inform, and support decision-makers in their efforts to plan for the impacts of climate change. This is particularly urgent in Alaska, where the impacts of climate change are already being felt. The Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning (SNAP) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has spent the past 7 years facilitating the use of scenarios for climate change planning. In this case study highlighting SNAP’s collaboration with the National Park Service (NPS), we explore how the scenario planning process can be applied to support effective communication of climate risks. The scenario planning process is a promising approach for engaging diverse individuals in a dialogue that promotes a new way of thinking about uncertainty while facilitating the coproduction of knowledge.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Arctic Research Center (IARC), Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning (SNAP), University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA

    Nancy Fresco & Kristin Timm

Authors
  1. Nancy Fresco
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  2. Kristin Timm
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nancy Fresco .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Business, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan, USA

    Jeanette L. Drake

  2. International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

    Yekaterina Y. Kontar

  3. University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

    John C. Eichelberger

  4. International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

    T. Scott Rupp

  5. Department of Communication, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

    Karen M. Taylor

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Fresco, N., Timm, K. (2016). Fostering Resilience in the Face of an Uncertain Future: Using Scenario Planning to Communicate Climate Change Risks and Collaboratively Develop Adaptation Strategies. In: Drake, J., Kontar, Y., Eichelberger, J., Rupp, T., Taylor, K. (eds) Communicating Climate-Change and Natural Hazard Risk and Cultivating Resilience. Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research, vol 45. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20161-0_6

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