River Network's Comments to the White House Interagency Climate Adaptation Task Force

A couple months ago, the White House Interagency Climate Adaptation Task Force released an interim progress report outlining a strategy to begin planning climate adaptation efforts across government agencies. The report was vague but it nonetheless provided fodder for public comments; my comments are reproduced below.

Tomorrow appears to be the last day to submit public comments to the Climate Adaptation Task Force. As I noted in an earlier post:

Since climate change is water change and many rivers are already experiencing lower flows and higher water temperatures due, at least in part, to global warming, river and watershed groups are on the front lines of the climate crisis. Rivers are the way that climate change is being manifest and it is impossible to develop an effective strategy for addressing climate change without the direct involvement of the watershed movement.

Here are the comments that I submitted (just in the nick of time) on behalf of River Network:

I am writing on behalf of River Network, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower and unite communities to protect and restore our nation’s rivers and watersheds. Founded in 1988, we are a leader in the national watershed protection movement that includes nearly 5,000 state, regional and local grassroots organizations, including more than 600 dues-paying River Network “Partner” organizations.

We strongly support the principles that you have described in your progress report. We submit these brief comments to suggest a few additional principles and research topics to incorporate into your thinking.

Climate change is of particular interest for the river and watershed community and we applaud the important progress that this administration has made in building a strategic response to the current and projected impacts of climate change. As the consequences of climate change become more apparent, our rivers, lakes and streams will be among the first and most adversely affected natural resources. As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment report (2007) states, “Water and its availability and quality will be the main pressures on, and issues for, societies and the environment under climate change.” Indeed, the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s June 2009 report, titled Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States, specifically mentions water in eight of the reports ten “key findings.”

Engage river and watershed groups. Given that climate change will be experienced primarily through our water resources, river and watershed organizations will play a critical role in adapting to climate change and should be actively engaged in adaptation discussions and planning at all levels of government.

Enhance connectivity. Rivers and their tributaries provide crucial corridors and habitats for species adapting to climate change. Restoration projects that enhance the health and connectivity function of rivers should be prioritized as climate adaptation strategies. As Seavy et al [Ecological Rest. 27(3):330-338 (2009); doi:10.3368/er.27.3.330] explain (emphasis added):

Climate change, whether natural or anthropogenic, causes distributional shifts for many organisms. Prioritizing connectivity in landscape planning and reserve design is the most common recommendation for protecting biodiversity from climate change (Heller and Zavaleta 2008). Connectivity is also critical for pre- serving the ecological processes for evolutionary adaptations to climate change (Cowling and Pressey 2001).

Riverine habitats function as ecological corridors for a wide array of plants and animals (Naiman et al. 1993, Machtans et al. 1996, Hilty and Merenlender 2004). Rivers and riparian vegetation connect high-elevation montane areas to sea-level estuaries and oceans. Rivers flow across elevational gradients, linking ecological zones with different climates. Furthermore, tributaries within watersheds provide spatial redundancy that maintains metapopulation and metacommunity dynamics (Collinge et al. 2001). In addition, flowing water moves organic material and energy (Ahearn et al. 2006, Kondolf et al. 2006). Restoring riparian habitats and hydrological function recreates or increases connectivity between habitats and across elevational zones, thus providing avenues for species movements in response to climate change.

Plan around watershed boundaries. Rivers cross political and jurisdictional boundaries, which means that the Federal government should play a central role in helping fragmented state and local governments collaborate around watershed management and planning efforts related to climate adaptation.

Prioritize nonstructural or green infrastructure approaches. Restoring wetlands and maintaining riparian buffer zones are just a couple examples of nonstructural approaches to building ecosystem resilience. Green infrastructure techniques such as ecoroofs, tree planting, rain gardens and bioswales have the potential to manage stormwater in cities – including the heavier storm events anticipated under climate change – while providing other benefits including carbon sequestration, water supply augmentation, reduced energy costs for water treatment, and reduced urban heat island effect. More research into the benefits and limitations of nonstructural and green infrastructure approaches to adapting to changing hydrologic conditions brought about by climate change should be conducted with an emphasis on lifecycle comparisons between these approaches and traditional, “hard” fixes, such as levees, dams and traditional stormwater systems.

Recognize the adaptation and mitigation benefits of water efficiency and reuse. As communities grapple with less reliable water supplies as a result of climate change, water conservation and efficiency offer some of the most reliable, cost effective and sustainable sources of “new” water. Wastewater and greywater reuse are other options that can provide new sources of water without additional water withdrawals from natural systems, thus maintaining or strengthening the resiliency of freshwater ecosystems.

Saving water saves energy. At a minimum, pumping, treating and heating water in the United States requires over 520 million Megawatt hours per year - equivalent to 13% of the country's electricity consumption. Greenhouse gas emissions resulting from water use were conservatively estimated to be approximately 290 million metric tons per year, which is comparable to the greenhouse gas emissions of 62 coal-fired power plants. Therefore, strategies that reduce water consumption or the need to use marginal, more energy intensive water supplies (such as seawater desalination or interbasin transfers) can save energy and prevent greenhouse gas emissions.

River Network would like to applaud you once again for taking initiative on climate adaptation. Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments on this important issue and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or would like further discussion.