Reply To: Hong Kong biodiversity and global warming

27 March 2013 at 1:16 am #8836
DocMartin Williams

    In discussions on HK Biodiversity Plan, I've heard mention that we should develop strategy for adaptation.

    Personally, I doubt this will be much use; believe climate change impacts will be too great, too swift, and too unpredictable, to do much about them. Energy better spent on trying to limit global warming.

    But anyway, of some interest the US has come up with strategy on climate change. News release from NOAA has info, which includes:

    Quote:
    The Climate Adaptation Strategy builds upon efforts already underway by federal, state, tribal governments and other organizations to safeguard fish, wildlife and plants and the communities that depend on them, and provides specific voluntary steps that agencies and partners can take in the coming years to reduce costly damages and protect the health of our communities and economy. The strategy does not prescribe any mandatory activities for government or nongovernmental entities, nor suggest any regulatory actions.

    …

    The Strategy identifies seven key steps to help safeguard the nation’s fish, wildlife and plants in a changing climate:

    • Conserve habitat to support healthy fish, wildlife, and plant populations and ecosystem functions;

    • Manage species and habitats to protect ecosystem functions and provide sustainable commercial, subsistence, recreational and cultural use;

    • Enhance capacity for effective management;

    • Support adaptive management through integrated observation and monitoring and use of decision support tools;

    • Increase knowledge and information on impacts and responses of fish, wildlife, and plants;

    • Increase awareness and motivate action to safeguard fish, wildlife, and plants; and

    • Reduce non-climate stressors to help fish, wildlife, plants, and ecosystems adapt.

    National strategy will help safeguard fish, wildlife and plants in a changing climate

    I've highlighted re "voluntary", believing this means that not a cat in hell's chance these measures will be implemented.

    – and for all the effort that's gone into the strategy, the steps seem banal, surely self-evident from the start.