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Climate Change and Water Quality in the Great Lakes Basin
August 2003
This multi-dimensional report from the Great Lakes Water Quality Board of the International Joint Commission is written for a cross-section of science, business, resource management, and policy experts in the Great Lakes region. Section 2 provides an overview of climate change and variability projections for the region, including air temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration, water supply, water levels, ice cover, and water quality. Projected impacts are then provided in Section 3 pertaining to the following sectors: human health, ecosystems and biodiversity, agriculture, fish and wildlife, forests, and recreation and tourism.
Resource Category: Assessments
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Climate Change and California Water Resources: A Survey and Summary of the Literature
July 2003
Produced for the California Energy Commission, this study identifies issues and research related to climate change impacts on water systems in California. Related informational resources are listed, including a number of reports that outline impacts of climate change on water resources.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Michael Kiparsky, Peter H. Gleick
Resource Category: Assessments
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Oregon Guidance on Biofilters for Storm Water Discharge Pollution Removal
January 2003
In 2003, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) published guidance on the use of “biofilters” to remove pollution from stormwater. Biofilters include a variety of green infrastructure techniques installed along roadways to filter pollution from stormwater runoff such as constructed wetlands and bioswales (vegetated swales or ditches), among others. The guidance details the design best management practices (BMPs) that have been proven to work well in constructing biofilters, and argues that biofilters may be the “most economical” way to remove sediment and other pollutants from runoff.
Resource Category: Solutions
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FEMA's Ready Program (Ready.gov)
Launched in February 2003, 'Ready' is a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural and man-made disasters. The goal of the campaign is to get the public involved and ultimately to increase the level of basic preparedness across the nation.
Resource Category: Education and Outreach
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Methods of assessing human health vulnerability and public health adaptation to climate change
2003
This publication provides practical information to governments, health agencies and environmental and meteorological institutions in both industrialized and developing countries on how to assess vulnerability and adaptation to climate variability and change at the regional, national and local levels. Flexible methods and tools are described to achieve better understanding of the current and future vulnerability of specific populations. This will help institutions and agencies to identify appropriate and effective adaptation strategies, policies and measures.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Sari Kovats, Kristie L. Ebi, Bettina Menne
Resource Category: Assessments
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Confronting Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region: Impacts on Our Communities and Ecosystems
January 1, 2003
This report released by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the Ecological Society of America examines the potential impacts of climate change upon the various ecosystems of the Great Lakes region. While somewhat dated, it is still highly relevant, and is cited in numerous subsequent impact studies. An updated Executive Summary was also released in 2005, which considered the findings of over 24 additional studies in the region. State summaries are also available on an interactive and comprehensive Union of Concerned Scientists website designed to represent the findings in this report.
Author or Affiliated User: George W. Kling et al
Resource Category: Assessments
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City of Chicago Tax Increment Financing and Green Roof Improvement Fund
February 2002
Chicago, Illinois, has successfully used tax increment financing (TIF) to fund public infrastructure and development projects. The city has established more than 120 TIF districts, and has leveraged its public investment to attract over $6 billion in private capital investment in TIF districts over two decades of development.
Resource Category: Funding
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Urban Planning Tools for Quality Growth, 2002 Supplement
2002
Originally released in 2000, Urban Planning Tools for Quality Growth ( “The Toolbox”) has been a resource for municipalities seeking to create quality neighborhoods and projects, and to balance growth with the preservation of sensitive lands and other precious resources. Envision Utah re-issued this guide with four additional chapters, including one on Urban Forestry. While this is an older publication (2002) it is still useful in understanding the benefits of urban forestry (including the mitigation of urban heat island effect and the absorption of CO2), steps for creating an urban forestry plan, and considerations for species selection and planting.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Confronting Climate Change in the Gulf Coast Region: Prospects for Sustaining Our Ecological Heritage
October 2001
This report from the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Ecological Society of America explores the potential risks of climate change to Gulf Coast ecosystems in the context of pressures from land use. Its purpose is to help the public and policymakers understand the most likely ecological consequences of climate change in the region over the next 50 to 100 years, and prepare to safeguard the economy, culture, and natural heritage of the Gulf Coast.
Authors or Affiliated Users: R.R. Twilley, E.J. Barron, H.L. Gholz, M.A. Harwell, R.L. Miller, D.J. Reed, J.B. Rose, E.H. Siemann, R.G. Wetzel, R.J. Zimmerman
Resource Category: Assessments
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Cool Surfaces and Shade Trees to Reduce Energy Use and Improve Air Quality in Urban Areas
2001
This article, published in Elsevier in 2002, outlines how cool surfaces (cool roofs and cool pavements) and urban trees can have a substantial effect on urban air temperature and, hence, can reduce cooling-energy use and smog. Using a dozen metropolitan cities as case studies, this paper demonstrates an estimate of about 20% of the national cooling demand can be avoided through a large-scale implementation of heat-island mitigation measures. This amounts to 40 TWh/ year savings, worth over $4B per year by 2015, in cooling-electricity savings alone.
Authors or Affiliated Users: H. Akbari, M. Pomerantz, H. Taha
Resource Category: Solutions
