Preparing for the Inevitable: US Climate Change Preparation

Pepperdine Policy Review, 6(8).This study does not specifically target Minnesota’s coastal communities. However, in light of the 2012 flooding in the Fond du Lac basins, it highlights the need to anticipate and prepare for extreme weather events and flooding in the future in the region. The abstract is reproduced below. Abstract: “There is growing consensus in the scientific community that the global climate is changing. Increasing average global temperatures are expected to increase both the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, which will affect human civilization. However, these events do not need to become disasters. Analysis of past extreme weather disasters in the United States shows that failures in policy, specifically in terms of disaster preparedness, are the real culprit and not the actual weather event. Given the increasing destructiveness of storms and the projected increase in frequency, it makes formulating a coherent and effective national response a priority.