Abstract

The risk of economic, environmental and social impacts due to climate change continues to rise. Currently, most of the focus in the area of transportation and climate change has been on mitigation strategies to reduce emissions and the resulting impact to the environment. Despite these mitigation strategies, the cumulative concentration of greenhouse gas emissions currently in the atmosphere, the time lag between implementing the strategies and the mitigation actions taking effect, and climate-related changes in temperature, precipitation, and sea level rise could result in significant impacts on transportation systems. This study examines current practices of Metropolitan and Rural Planning Organizations in the Mid-Atlantic region through a preliminary survey of adaptation practices. The primary objective of the survey of agency adaptation practices is to identify existing agency progress and behavior with regards to climate change adaptation. A secondary objective is to benchmark progress and provide guidance and recommendations for future efforts. Initial results show that budget and regulatory constraints encourage local adaptation efforts that support mitigation rather than long term vulnerability assessments that require multi-jurisdictional support and expertise. By identifying current progress and priorities, this study serves as the foundation for developing a strategic approach to determining the state of the practice of adaptation planning across transportation agencies throughout the country.