The Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM) queried the 50 states for information on any wetland-related climate change adaptation efforts they have initiated as of 2010. Since the term ‘global warming’ first appeared in scientific literature in 1975, human understanding of our role in the greater ecological system has rapidly evolved.  The scientific consensus is that the planet is warming, and that human activity is (at least) partially to blame.  This consensus also holds that the warming trend will have profound adverse impacts on many species, habitats and human systems. What silver linings are presented by current projections, such as increased opportunity for agriculture in presently colder climate zones, will likely be realized at the cost of many natural resources, already strained. There are a number of efforts underway to lessen the extent to which human activity contributes to climate change.  Many states have sought ways to reduce greenhouse gases, implementing things such as emissions standards, energy portfolios, and carbon reduction targets.

Planning and adjustments to states’ coastal management programs should be evaluated and implemented.  Such changes are known as adaptation.  Changes in temperature and precipitation as well as the timing and intensity of flooding and drought will also require adaptive measures in the interior of the United States.  Collectively these changes can be expected to have a significant impact on wetland resources.  For the 2010 full report, click here. For technical information on how to use these webpages, click here.

These summaries are updated on an ongoing basis as information about new tools and adaptation planning becomes available for each state. These summaries have been updated in 2013.

Legend

Wetlands are a profoundly diverse category of ecosystems. Climate change impacts will be different from one state to another. In addition, states vary in the activities they have undertaken in response to climate change, to date. In order to help users find the most relevant data, ASWM has categorized state actions and perceived threats from climate change. These categories are symbolized at the top of each state’s summary page as in the legend below:

		Threats The top line of icons represents the threats from climate change identified by the state. Below is a list of states that face the same threat or are engaged in the same activity. Click on a state to view the state summary. Click on a symbol within a state summary to navigate to a list of state(s) facing that same threat. Threat from sea level rise Alabama Mississippi Alaska New Hampshire California New Jersey Connecticut New York Delaware North Carolina Florida Oregon Georgia Rhode Island Hawaii South Carolina Louisiana Texas Maine Virginia Maryland Washington Massachusetts Threat to water supply or water quality Alabama New Jersey Arizona Nevada California New Hampshire Colorado New Mexico Connecticut North Carolina Delaware North Dakota Florida Ohio Georgia Oklahoma Hawaii Oregon Idaho Pennsylvania Illinois Rhode Island Indiana South Carolina Iowa South Dakota Kansas Texas Maine Utah Michigan Vermont Minnesota West Virginia Mississippi Washington Missouri Wisconsin Montana Wyoming Nebraska Threat from storm surge/weather events Alabama Missouri Alaska Montana California New Hampshire Colorado New Jersey Connecticut New York Florida North Carolina Georgia North Dakota Hawaii Ohio Idaho Oklahoma Illinois Oregon Indiana Pennsylvania Iowa Rhode Island Kansas South Dakota Louisiana Tennessee Maine Vermont Maryland Virginia Massachusetts Wisconsin Mississippi Threat from drought Colorado North Carolina Connecticut Oklahoma Idaho Oregon Iowa South Dakota Kansas Tennessee Minnesota Texas Missouri Utah Montana Wisconsin Nebraska Wyoming Nevada Threat to wildlife or habitat Alabama Montana Alaska Nebraska Arizona New Hampshire Arkansas New Jersey California New Mexico Connecticut New York Delaware North Carolina Florida North Dakota Georgia Ohio Hawaii Oklahoma Idaho Oregon Illinois Pennsylvania Indiana Rhode Island Iowa South Dakota Kansas Tennessee Kentucky Texas Louisiana Utah Maine Vermont Maryland Virginia Massachusetts Washington Michigan West Virginia Minnesota Wisconsin Mississippi Wyoming Missouri							State Actions The bottom line of icons represents the types of actions taken by the state in response to those threats. Below is a list of states that face the same threat or are engaged in the same activity. Click on a state to view the state summary. Each state summary will include links to other states that also face the same threat or are engaged in the same activities. Adaptation planning in progress Arkansas New Jersey Idaho New York Iowa Oregon Massachusetts Pennsylvania New Hampshire Rhode Island Adaptation planning completed Kansas Adaptation planning includes wetlands Alaska Vermont Connecticut Washington Maine Wisconsin Minnesota Completed plan includes wetlands California Florida Colorado Maryland Studies in progress California Kansas Delaware Maryland Florida Minnesota Hawaii Montana Idaho Oklahoma Iowa Wisconsin Studies completed Delaware State is engaged in monitoring Arizona Minnesota Delaware Vermont Maine Wisconsin Massachusetts