From NECAP to GCAP: Transferring Climate Adaptation Knowledge and Tools from New England to Georgetown, SC - NERRS/NSC(NERRS Science Collaborative)

This project will develop, produce, and implement role-play simulation case studies for Georgetown County citizens and leaders, with the goal of starting community discussions around climate adaptation and mitigation planning. The project team will develop the simulations based on localized climate information and data for temperature and precipitation. This will be combined with information gathered through key stakeholder interviews on their understanding of climate change, the climate-related risk factors that are of the greatest interest to them, and the social and political context in which decisions will be made. This information will then be used to create a scientific fact sheet for each case study, the roles within the case studies, risks that are present, and possible solutions based on sociopolitical context and scientific evidence.

The project seeks to engage 150-200 participants in the role-playing simulations through a minimum of four community participation workshops throughout the county. The role-play will allow for collective community learning and engagement, and the potential for developing policy recommendations. It will help to incorporate climate risk management into local decision-making processes in the public and private sectors. This science transfer project was funded by NOAA through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative to promote the use of science. It did not produce any new data.

From 2015 to 2017, Georgetown County, South Carolina experienced threats to life, ecosystems, infrastructure, housing, schools, and businesses due to a thousand-year rainfall event, Hurricane Matthew, and repeated flooding episodes. The increased frequency and severity of these rainfall events mirrors climate scientists’ projections for the region as climate change intensifies. Like many small counties in the United States, Georgetown County is challenged by financial limitations and burgeoning infrastructure needs, creating a difficult decision-making environment for considering climate adaptation and mitigation planning.

This project will develop and implement a novel approach to climate adaptation planning, which was first conducted in New England from 2013 to 2014. Georgetown County will use role-play case studies developed using local climate information and sociopolitical context to engage local citizens and community leaders in exploring climate change impacts and potential decisions in their local context. The goal of the simulations is collective community learning and engagement with the potential for policy and planning recommendations to emerge.

Project Lead

Jennifer Plunket

North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine

Research Reserve

(843) 904-3033

jen@belle.baruch.sc.edu

Project Type

Science Transfer – promoting the use

of science

Project Partners

• Carolinas Integrated Sciences

& Assessments, University

of South Carolina

• Coastal Carolina University

• Consensus Building Institute

• North Inlet-Winyah Bay

National Estuarine Research

Reserve, South Carolina

The distributor does not assume liability.

None

Cite this dataset when used as a source: NOAA retains the right to analyze, synthesize and publish summaries of the NERRS/NSC data. The NERRS/NSC retains the right to be fully credited for having collected and process the data. Following academic courtesy standards, the NERR site where the data were collected should be contacted and fully acknowledged in any subsequent publications in which any part of the data are used. The data enclosed within this package/transmission are only as accurate as the quality assurance and quality control procedures that are described in the associated metadata reporting statement allow. The user bears all responsibility for its subsequent use/misuse in any further analyses or comparisons. The Federal government does not assume liability to the Recipient or third persons, nor will the Federal government reimburse or indemnify the Recipient for its liability due to any losses resulting in any way from the use of this data. Requested citation format: NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Science Collaborative(NSC).