Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Facilitating adaptation to global climate change: perspectives from experts and decision makers serving the Florida Keys

  • Published:
Climatic Change Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Slivers of land amidst the world’s third largest barrier reef, the Florida Keys provide unique insights on the emerging challenges associated with adaptation to global climate change. While political will and public awareness are gradually shifting on the imposing risks, analysis of survey responses from experts and decision makers serving the Florida Keys (federal, state and local personnel) reveals insufficient resources, limited direction and leadership, and lack of institutional frameworks to facilitate the adaptation process. Against this backdrop, we investigate experts and decision makers’ interest in an array of adaptation measures including their willingness to support a proposed ‘Community Adaptation Fund’ (CAF) to mobilize resources and lay the foundation for adaptation initiatives in the Florida Keys. We also explore potential funding sources for establishing the proposed CAF, and test the feasibility of a diverse set of financing mechanisms. We discuss implications of our findings in the context of enhancing adaptive capacity in the Florida Keys and beyond.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Florida’s coral reefs are the foundation of a $6 billion/year revenue stream. The Keys are the number one scuba diving destination in the U.S., in the top five worldwide. Ten million pounds of seafood and marine products are harvested annually (Donahue et al. 2008; Gibson et al. 2008).

  2. Saltwater intrusion has dramatically reduced freshwater Pine Rockland communities, critical habitat for endangered Key Deer (Ross et al. 2008).

  3. All of the Florida Keys in Monroe County, including the uninhabited Marquesas Keys (protected as part of Key West National Wildlife Refuge) and Dry Tortugas, were included in the study. The Keys in Miami-Dade County were not included, nor was mainland Monroe County.

  4. Experts and decision makers contacted to complete the survey were from organizations such as the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Army Corps Of Engineers, National Parks Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, South Florida Water Management District, Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, Monroe County, City of Key West, Village of Islamorada, The Nature Conservancy, Audubon Society, Reef Relief, Mote Tropical Research Laboratory, MarineLab.

  5. The survey-based contingent valuation method often use a similar referendum for evaluating support for diverse non-market public goods and services which are often used as inputs in benefit-cost analyses, natural resource damage assessments and other planning processes (Champ et al. 2003; Carson and Groves 2007).

  6. There is very limited research on financing adaptation at the local level (UNFCC 2010b). Given that adaptation is community and site specific in nature, we selected these options following consultation with local experts and decision makes at the survey pretesting level. We also attempted to provide diverse options, including both broad-based mechanisms that largely shift the financial burden away from the local community (e.g., a room surcharge at hotels and motels and an Overseas Highway toll) to more specialized targeted sectors (e.g., surcharges on boating, diving and fishing). Future research may consider alternative financing mechanisms such as additional property taxes, drinking water fees, cruise liner docking fees, alcohol taxes, etc.

  7. Responses for each funding mechanism were collapsed from a 0 to 10 scale into three categories (0–3 minimally supportive, 4–6 moderately supportive and 7–10 highly supportive).

References

  • Adger WN, Hughes TP, Folke C, Carpenter SR, Rockström J (2005) Social-ecological resilience to coastal disasters. Science 309(10):36–1039. doi:10.1126/science.1112122

    Google Scholar 

  • Adger WN, Dessai S, Goulden M, Hulme M et al (2009) Are there social limits to adaptation to climate change? Clim Chang 93(3–4):335–354. doi:10.1007/s10584-008-9520-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agrawala S, Fankhauser S (2008) Economic aspects of adaptation to climate change: Costs, benefits and policy instruments. OECD, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 HR. 2454 (Waxman-Markey).

  • Anthoff D, Nicholls RJ, Tol RSJ (2010) The economic impact of substantial sea-level rise. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 15:321–335. doi:10.1007/s11027-010-9220-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bagstad KJ, Stapleton K, D’Agostino JR (2007) Taxes, subsidies and insurance as drivers of U.S. coastal development. Ecol Econ 63:285–298. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2006.09.019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berkhout F, Hertin J, Gann DM (2006) Learning to adapt: organizational adaptation to climate change impacts. Clim Chang 78:135–156. doi:10.1007/s10584-006-9089-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bostrom A (1997) Risk perceptions: “experts” vs. “lay people”. Duke Envtl L Pol’y F 8:101–113, Available http://www.law.duke.edu/journals/delpf/archive.html

    Google Scholar 

  • Carson R, Groves T (2007) Incentive and informational properties for preference questions. Environ Resour Econ 37(1):181–210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Census (2000) U.S. Census Bureau, Summary File 1 (SF 1) and Summary File 3 (SF 3) Monroe County, Florida

  • Champ PA, Boyle K, Brown T (eds) (2003) A primer on nonmarket valuation. Kluwer Academic Press, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig RK (2010) “Stationarity Is Dead”—Long live transformation: five principles for climate change adaptation law. Harvard Environ Law Rev 34:9–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Donahue S, Acosta A, Akins L et al (2008) The state of coral reef ecosystems of the Florida Keys pp 161–188. In: Waddell JE, Clarke AM (eds) The state of coral reef ecosystems of the US and Pacific Freely Associated States: 2008. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 73. NOAA/NCCOS Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment’s Biogeography Team. Silver Spring, MD, pp 569

  • Fabricius C, Folke C, Cundill G, Schultz L (2007) Powerless spectators, coping actors, and adaptive co-managers: a synthesis of the role of communities in ecosystem management. Ecol Soc 12:29, Available http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol12/iss1/art29

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischhoff B (1990) Understanding long-term environmental risks. J Risk Uncertainty 3:315–330. doi:10.1007/BF00353344

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson T, Wanless H, Klaus J et al (2008) Corals and climate change: Florida’s natural treasures at risk. Environmental Defense Fund, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Gustafson PG (1998) Gender differences in risk perception: theoretical and methodological perspectives. Risk Analysis 18(6):805–811

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halley RB, Vacher HL, Shinn EA (1997) Geology and Hydrogeology of the Florida Keys. In: Vacher HL, Quinn T (eds) Geology and Hydrology of Carbonate Islands. Developments in Sedimentology 54. Elsevier, NY, pp 217–248

  • Harrington J, Walton TL (2008) Climate change in coastal areas in Florida: Sea level rise estimation and economic analysis to year 2080. Florida State University, Tallahassee

    Google Scholar 

  • Helm C, Bruckner T, Toth F (1999) Value judgments and the choice of climate protection strategies. Int J Soc Econ 26:974–1021. doi:10.1108/03068299910245750

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hertwig R, Barron G, Weber EU, Erev I, (2004) Decisions from experience and the effect of rare events in risky choice. Psychological Science 15: 534-539. doi:10.1111/j.0956-7976.2004.00715.x

  • Hoegh-Guldberg O, Mumby PJ, Hooten AJ et al (2007) Corals reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification. Science 318:1737–1742. doi:10.1126/science.1152509

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman RN, Dailey P, Hopsch S, Ponte RM, Quinn K et al (2010) An estimate of increases in storm surge risk to property from sea level rise in the first half of the twenty-first century. Wea Climate Soc 2:271–293

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein RJT, Schipper ELF, Dessai S (2005) Integrating mitigation and adaptation into climate and development policy. Environ Sci Policy 8:579–588. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2005.06.010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knutson TR, McBride JL, Chan J, Emanuel K, Holland G, Landsea C et al (2010) Tropical cyclones and climate change. Nat Geosci 3:157–163. doi:10.1038/ngeo779

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kriesel W, Landry CE, Keller A (2005) Coastal erosion management from a community economics perspective: The feasibility and efficiency of user fees. J Agr Appl Econ 37:451–461

    Google Scholar 

  • Kunreuther H, Pauly M (2006) Rules rather than discretion: lessons from hurricane katrina. J Risk Uncertainty 33:101–116. doi:10.1007/s11166-006-0173-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leiserowitz A (2006) Climate change risk perception and policy preferences: the role of affect, imagery, and values. Clim Chang 77(1–2):45–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marx S, Weber E, Orlove B et al (2007) Communication and mental processes: experiential and analytic processing of uncertain climate information. Global Environ Change 17:47–58. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2006.10.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGranahan G, Balk D, Anderson B (2007) The rising tide: assessing the risks of climate change and human settlements in low-elevation coastal zones. Environ Urbanization 19:17–37. doi:10.1177/0956247807076960

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLaughlin P, Dietz T (2008) Structure, agency and environment: toward an integrated perspective on vulnerability. Global Environ Change 18:99–111. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2007.05.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan MM, Fischhoff B, Bostrom A, Atman CJ (2001) Risk communication: The mental models approach. Cambridge University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Mousavi ME, Irish JL, Frey AE et al (2010) Global warming and hurricanes: potential impact of hurricane intensification and sea level rise on coastal flooding. Clim Chang 104:575–597. doi:10.1007/s10584-009-9790-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mozumder P, Flugman E, Randhir T (2011) Adaptation behavior in the face of global climate change: survey responses from experts and decision makers serving the Florida Keys. Ocean Coastal Manag 54:37–44. doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2010.10.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council (NRC) (2007) Evaluating progress of the U.S. climate change science program. National Academies Press, Washington DC, Available http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id = 11934

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council (NRC) (2009) Informing decisions in a changing climate. NAP, Washington DC, Available http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id = 12626

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor RE, Bord RJ, Fisher A (1999) Risk perceptions, general environmental beliefs, and willingness to address climate change. Risk Analysis 19:461–71. doi:0272-4332/99/0600-0461$16.00/1

    Google Scholar 

  • Oppenheimer M, Todorov A (2006) Global warming: the psychology of long term risk (Guest Editorial). Clim Chang 77:1–6. doi:10.1007/s10584-006-9086-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pelling M, High C, Dearing J, Smith D (2008) Shadow spaces for social learning: a relational understanding of adaptive capacity to climate change within organizations. Environ Plann A 40:867–884. doi:10.1068/a39148

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pielke RA Jr (2007) The case for a sustainable climate policy: why costs and benefits must be temporally balanced. U Penn Law Rev 155:1843–1857, Available: http://www.pennumbra.com/issues/article.php?aid=149

    Google Scholar 

  • Repetto R (2009) The climate crisis and the adaptation myth. WP 13, school of forestry and environmental studies. Yale University, New Haven

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, MS, O’Brien JJ, Ford RG, Zhang K, Morkill A (2008) Disturbance and the rising tide: the challenge of biodiversity management on low-island ecosystems. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 7. doi:10.1890/070221

  • Shinn EA (1988) The geology of the Florida keys. Oceanus 3(1):46–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Shinn EA (2008) Corals as bioindicators of climate change. Environ Bioindic 3:149–152. doi:10.1080/15555270802529913

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slovic P, Finucane ML, Peters E, MacGregor DG (2004) Risk as analysis and risk as feelings: some thoughts about affect, reason, risk and rationality. Risk Anal 24(2):311–322

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith VL (2003) Constructivist and ecological rationality in economics. Am Econ Rev 93(3):465–508

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith JB, Vogel JM, Cromwell JE III (2009) An architecture for government action on adaptation to climate change. Clim Chang 95(1–2):53–61. doi:10.1007/s10584-009-9623-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanton EA, Ackerman F (2007) Florida and climate change: The costs of inaction. Tufts University, MA, Available http://ase.tufts.edu/gdae/Pubs/rp/FloridaClimate.html

    Google Scholar 

  • Sundblad EL, Biel A, Garling T (2007) Cognitive and affective risk judgments related to climate change. Environ Psychol 27:97–106. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2007.01.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sunstein CR (2006) The availability heuristic, intuitive cost-benefit analysis, and climate change. Clim Chang 77:195–210. doi:10.1007/s10584-006-9073-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Titus JG, Hudgens DE, Trescott DL, Craghan M, Nuckols WH et al (2009) State and local governments plan for development of most land vulnerable to rising sea level along the US Atlantic coast. Environ Res Lett 4:4. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/4/4/044008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tribbia J, Moser SC (2008) More than information: what California’s coastal managers need to plan for climate change. Environ Sci Pol 11:315–328. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2008.01.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNFCC (2010a) Adaptation Fund Handbook (2010) Assessing resources from the adaptation fund, the handbook, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Available at http://www.adaptation-fund.org/publications

  • UNFCC (2010b) Potential costs and benefits of adaptation options: a review of existingliterature. Technical Paper. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

  • Urwin K, Jordan A (2008) Does public policy support or undermine climate change adaptation? Global Environ Change 18:180–191. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2007.08.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) (2007a) Climate change: Financial risks to federal and private insurers in coming decades are potentially significant. GAO-07-285, Washington DC. Available http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-07-285

  • U.S. Government Accountability Office, (GAO) (2007b) Climate change: Agencies should develop guidance for addressing the effects on federal land and water resources. GAO-07-863, Washington DC. Available http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-07-863

  • Vermeer M, Rahmstorf S (2009) Global sea level linked to global temperature. Proc Nat Acad of Sci 106(51):21527–21532. doi:10.1073/pnas.0907765106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vogel C, Moser SC, Kasperson RE, Dabelko GD (2007) Linking vulnerability, adaptation, and resilience science to practice. Global Environ Change 17:349–364. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2007.05.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weber EU (2006) Experience-based and description-based perceptions of long-term risk: Why global warming does not scare us (yet). Clim Chang 77:103–120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webster M, Jakobovits L, Norton J (2008) Learning about climate change and implications for near-term policy. Clim Chang 89:67–85. doi:10.1007/s10584-008-9406-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williamson T, Hesseln H, Johnston M (2010) Adaptive capacity deficits and adaptive capacity of economic systems in climate change vulnerability assessment. Forest Pol Econ In Press

  • Wooton JT, Pfister CA, Forester JD (2008) Dynamical patterns and ecological impacts of ocean pH in a high-resolution, multi-year dataset. Proc Nat Acad of Sci 105(48):18848–18853. doi:10.1073/pnas.0810079105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang K (2011) Analysis of non-linear inundation from sea-level rise using LIDAR data: a case study for South Florida. Clim Chang 106:537–365. doi:10.1007/s10584-010-9987-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Hugh Gladwin, Mahadev Bhat, Michael Ross, (Florida International University, Miami, FL), Chris Bergh (The Nature Conservancy, Florida Keys) for their invaluable comments and encouragement throughout the research process. Susanne Moser (National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO) was very kind in sharing her survey instrument with us. We acknowledge the Healey Research Endowment Grant at the University of Massachusetts, the College of Arts and Science’s Summer Research Grant at Florida International University and a grant from National Science Foundation (#0838683) for supporting this research. However, the opinions expressed here are solely those of the authors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    Evan Flugman

  2. Department of Earth and Environment, Department of Economics and Social Science Laboratory at the International Hurricane Research Center, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    Pallab Mozumder

  3. Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

    Timothy Randhir

Authors
  1. Evan Flugman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pallab Mozumder
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Timothy Randhir
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pallab Mozumder.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Flugman, E., Mozumder, P. & Randhir, T. Facilitating adaptation to global climate change: perspectives from experts and decision makers serving the Florida Keys. Climatic Change 112, 1015–1035 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0256-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0256-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation