Summary of Findings and Recommendations

1
Summary of Findings and Recommendations

• Wingspread Leadership Summit for Sustainable
  America
• Natural Resources and Climate Change
• December 4-6, 2006

2
Common Key Messages

• Leadership will be critical
• Presidential leadership will be critical with a
  set of executive orders as well as legislative
  proposals.
• Probability of disaster is very high if we do not
  act.
• Governors and local leaders should be engaged as
  well.
• Position US to take international leadership
  role.
• Focus on short term Dont miss immediate
  opportunities
• Climate change solutions can have multiple
  benefits i.e., increased national security.
• Natural resources are vulnerable to climate
  change but can also be part of the solution.
• American People Must Be Engaged
• Tap into the American Spirit Independent,
  forward looking, industrious.
• Not solving the problem is not an option there
  is a direct connection to everyones well being.
• Solving the problem will take more than any one
  person, business or government can do. It must be
  a collective effort on the part of our whole
  society.
• Clarity must be reached through an extensive PR
  campaign on the finality of the science behind
  climate change in an appropriate, approachable
  manner which inspires confidence in the future.
• The time for action is now.
• In the face of potential adversity there is great
  opportunity.
• New Jobs
• Growth of new economic sectors (Green collar
  jobs)
• More secure, more sustainable, more prosperous
  future for coming generations.
• Addressing climate change will provide
  opportunities to address other societal issues
  such as environmental justice.

3
Executive Actions
4
Habitat and Biodiversity

• Within first 10 days of term, order that through
  NEPA, all EISs and other federal natural
  resource planning shall include contributions to
  and impacts from climate change and require
  action to minimize contributions and impacts
  where possible.
• Following this, a communications strategy should
  be defined within 30 days.
• Set up a commission to oversee public lands
  issues with particular focus placed on public
  participation and input.
• Ensure that mitigation and adaptation to climate
  change are made significant parts of federal
  planning processes.
• Order that agencies overseeing land management
  and biodiversity incorporate actions in light of
  climate change which protect, maintain and
  restore biodiversity and habitat.
• Order the necessary agencies to conduct a
  national inventory of ecosystem services
  including valuation for climate, habitat and
  biodiversity issues.
• If using and updating existing inventories,
  ensure that metrics and valuations are consistent
  nationally.
• Frame inventories in terms of ecosystem services
  and add whether projected climate change for that
  region will enhance or hinder each service.
• Note systems that are especially sensitive to
  climate change and use them as indicator systems
  to measure rates of change.
• Direct research institutions to shift focus from
  proving climate change to investigating necessary
  adaptations.
• Provide more support for regional climate models.
• Provide for anticipatory restoration foresee
  future areas of weakness and work to prevent
  losses.

5
Water Resources

• Establish non-governmental commission on water
  resources.
• Address both surface and groundwater challenges.
• Encourage utilities to recharge groundwater where
  possible and use more surface water.
• Identify areas where surface and groundwater can
  be used conjunctively, partnering with USGS.
• Partner with USGS and state governments to
  identify high risk flooding areas and work with
  insurance companies to discourage development in
  high risk areas.
• Develop and implement decision-making tools for
  integrated planning.
• Act as a liaison between agencies in charge of
  water resource management.
• Direct FEMA to update existing floodplain maps.
• Evaluate 100-year flood level as acceptable level
  of risk.
• Develop energy policy with eye towards water
  resource issues.
• Identify win/win water use reduction and CO2
  reduction strategies.
• Have the President mandate water use reduction by
  all agencies.
• Commit US officials to play visible role in
  international water rights negotiations.
• Longer term
• Advance policies and standards related to gray
  water and water reuse.
• President should sign Great Lakes Resource
  Protection Compact
• Advance efforts to define ecosystem services and
  valuations related to water resources, taking
  into account worlds oceans.

6
Forestry and Agriculture

• Extend current conservation easements beyond 2008.

7
Crosscutting Executive Actions

• Create a National Commission on Taxes and
  Subsidies
• Evaluate taxes and subsidies that exacerbate
  climate change or degrade ecosystem services
  (perverse incentives).
• Recommend changes to taxes and subsidies which
  are in line with national GHG reduction and
  environmental stewardship goals.

8
Guidance for Executive Action

• Develop message and language before package of
  recommendations reaches President. Consider
  working with marketing specialists.
• Get President ready for opposing responses
• If India/China dont act, why should we? Its all
  subjective. Etc.
• Use positive case studies, metaphors and words
  that move people. Help with message issues.

9
Legislative Actions
10
Habitat and Biodiversity

• National Heritage and Environmental Security Act
• Purposes
• Ensure that healthy ecosystems which provide
  necessary services to Americans continue to
  exist
• Invest in those which help mitigate the effects
  of climate change.
• Necessary components
• Update state wildlife plans to incorporate
  climate change issues using bioregional
  approaches.
• Promote habitat restoration and protection.
• Promote restoration of brownfields and
  development patterns that do not encroach upon
  natural systems/habitats.
• Consider transferable development rights with
  incentives for habitat protection.
• Set up fund to purchase and preserve at-risk
  resource land.
• Provide funding for further research.
• Determination of high-risk resource land.
• Plot connectivity between habitats
• Provide for national communication and
  eco-literacy
• Establish framework for interagency coordination,
  communication and reporting.
• Ensure that any national carbon tax or cap and
  trade bill includes a provision that provides at
  least 2B annually to protect natural heritage
  from the effects of climate change.
• Cap and trade should be comprehensive, including
  all sectors though possibly exempting small
  operators/emitters.
• Cap and Trade has high transaction costs, carbon
  tax might be better alternative to maximize
  revenue stream and minimize complication.
• Revenue should be reinvested in further
  reduction, sequestration, adaptation efforts and
  allocated for other uses that enhance ecosystem
  services. Some revenue ought to be allocated to
  state wildlife and natural resource agencies.

11
Water Resources

• Increase standards for water efficiency
• Make EPA Water Star program a priority.
• Incentivize use of green building and planning
  practices that take water performance into
  account.
• Permeable pavement
• Green roofs
• High-efficiency fixtures, etc.
• Improve current use or lose agricultural water
  use policies.

12
Forestry and Agriculture

• Farm Bill Recommendations
• Conservation Title
• Make GHG reductions and carbon sequestration a
  priority in allocating resources. Apply lifecycle
  analysis when considering sequestration/mitigation
  
• Establish a link between conservation programs
  and private carbon markets.
• Recognize that forests play a disproportionate
  role in the carbon cycle (but are not adequately
  addressed by most conservation programs).
• Energy Title
• Factor-in life cycle GHG benefits in providing
  incentives with performance based evaluation.
• Encourage the development of bio-plastics and
  biobased products.
• Conservation Title
• Expand conservation compliance provisions to
  include GHG.
• Research Title
• Determine ways in which agriculture will be
  affected by climate change, and find ways to
  minimize impact.
• Analyze economic impacts of changes in commodity
  subsidies locally and globally.
• Quantify environmental service benefits of
  forests and farmland.
• Carbon Tax/Cap and Trade System
• Include forestry and agriculture under cap and
  trade system, recognizing their disproportionate
  sequestration of carbon.
• Exempt smaller farmers from system because of
  relatively small contributions and high
  transaction costs of administering program.
• Create a crop insurance program to provide
  security to farmers implementing BMPs.

13
Choosing/Prioritizing Action Options
14
Criteria

• Sustainable Decision Making
• Feasibility
• ScienceIs the underlying science adequately
  understood?
• TechnologyDo we know how to translate it into
  practice?
• Institutions/InfrastructureWhats needed for
  implementation?
• Ultimate size of problem.
• Economic criteria and impact on problem
• Timing of impact (cost, cost-benefit,
  cost-effectiveness)
• Impacts on resources, environment, sustainability
  ( or -)
• To what extent will the policy under
  consideration affect surrounding ecosystems in
  regards to ecosystem goods and services (i.e.
  food, fiber, fuels, chemical feed-stocks, fresh
  water, genetic resources, detoxification of
  pollutants, natural-hazard reduction, recreation
  opportunities, etc.), processes (i.e. nutrient
  cycling, soil formation, etc.), and other valued
  environmental characteristics.
• Compatibility with other national goals
• Economic (development, growth, trade,
  competitiveness)
• Foreign policy, national security
• Flexibility, diversity, resilience
• Equity (rich-poor, intergenerational)
• Simplicity

In the quantifiable categories here, assessment
will entail specifying uncertainty bounds, not
just best estimates.
15
Applying Sustainable Decision Criteria

• Write a clear, concise statement of purpose.
• Evaluate recommendations in the final CAP
  according to these criteria.
• Develop a compelling vision of sustainability
  with emphasis placed on multiple methods
  (components of CAP) for achieving this.
• Framework should include Millennium Assessment
  and Heinz Sustainable Roundtable work.
• Determine an adequate weighting system to ensure
  that most critical factors are given most
  priority.
• Ensure equity (social, economic, etc) in every
  decision.