Managing Climate Change Risk in New England

During the 2011 Fall Semester, the Massachusetts Climate Adaptation Project ran a negotiation simulation about increased flooding risks due to climate change at two different community meetings. Jenna Kay (MCP2), Melissa Higbee (MCP1), and Professor Larry Susskind led these efforts and were aided by several MIT DUSP students trained in facilitation. The first event was an evening session with community leaders from Newburyport, MA. The second event included over 100 climate activists at the Massachusetts Climate Action Now (MCAN) Conference.

These events not only provided a hands-on opportunity for participants to learn about collaborative decision-making, scenario planning, and climate change risks, but also provided a valuable research opportunity to measure the effectiveness of the simulations at promoting adaptation efforts. Student researchers analyzed data from surveys that participants filled out before and after participating in the negotiation simulation. They also conducted phone interviews with participants 4-6 weeks after the event to find out what lasting impacts the simulation has on both individual and community learning. Lastly, students surveyed Newburyport community members that did not participate in the event in order to compare the two groups and better understand how the simulation changes perceptions of climate change risks. Preliminary findings indicate that the simulation increases the sense of agency that participants have to help their community take action on climate change risks and also increases their understanding of the use of scenario planning as a tool for helping cities make no-regret decisions about infrastructure investments in the face of uncertain climate change impacts.

In the coming weeks and months, the Massachusetts Climate Adaptation Project will be wrapping up the study of the Newburyport simulation event and providing a report to City officials regarding research findings and recommendations for potential next steps for climate adaptation planning in that community. The Project will also run the flooding negotiation simulation with high school students near Beverly, MA and will be working with several other coastal Massachusetts cities and towns during the Spring Semester of 2012.

For local coverage, see: http://www.newburyportnews.com/local/x345566640/City-goes-back-to-school-on-climate-change