Chad J. McGuire

Environmental Decision-Making in Context : A Toolbox

Introduction Science of Environmental Decision-Making Introduction Natural Systems Systems Thinking Conclusion References Economics of Environmental Decision-Making Introduction Categories of Economics Relevant to Environmental Decision-Making Defining Value: Linking Environment and Human Interactions Total Valuation Technique (Tv=Dv+Iv+Nuv) Benefit-Cost Analysis Conclusion References Values of Environmental Decision-Making Introduction Objective Values Subjective Values Scaling Value Decisions Conclusion References Case Problems Introduction to Case Problems Case Problem 1: Watershed Management: Linking Terrestrial and Aquatic Environmental Problems Case Problem 2: Fisheries Management:.Managing Public Resources through a Mix of Private Incentives Case Problem 3: Sustainability: Setting Priorities between Today and Tomorrow, A Total Valuation Application Case Problem 4: Climate Change: Making Environmental Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty Index

U.S. Coastal Flood Insurance, Risk Perception, and Sea Level Rise: A Perspective

This article uses coastal flood insurance policy in the United States to discuss the influence of historical and existing policy frameworks on the development of new policy directions in coastal management within a context of risk perception. It is presumed that under conditions of current and future sea-level rise, coastal planning will have to develop forward-looking policy instruments focused on managing human expectations, particularly the expectations of those living along the coast. Planning will be supported, in large part, by evolving scientific evidence on sea-level rise and the attendant hazards that accompany this phenomenon. It is likely that policy proposals for future coastal management will deviate to some degree from previous management practices. The role of previous management practices in supporting a perception of risk that deviates from actual risks is explored using historical and current coastal flood insurance policy in the United States as an example. The goal of this analysis is to highlight the importance of community risk perception, as a function of past policy practice, when considering new coastal management policy directions.

Climate-Induced Sea Level Rise and Sustainable Coastal Management: The Influence of Existing Policy Frameworks on Risk Perception

This article looks at the role of existing government policies on perceptions of risk and the impact they have on developing forward-looking sustainable policy instruments. Coastal flood insurance policy in the United States is examined as a way of exploring the relationship between policy instruments and risk perception. Insights include the importance of understanding the role of community risk perception in policy development, as well as the role of historical and existing policies in influencing community risk perception.

Colliding Worlds: The Objective Nature of Climate Science and the (Somewhat) Subjective Nature of Climate Policy

Abstract The purpose of this article is to outline and discuss some of the difficulties in translating objective climate science into effective public policy. It is argued here that a fundamental d...

Considering the Role of Government in Communicating Climate Change: Lessons from the US Public Flood Insurance Program

The aim of this paper is to discuss the United States public flood insurance and disaster relief programs in the context of current policies that influence current and future policy goals related to climate change. The methodology employed is a case study approach that looks at the historical development of current public flood insurance and disaster relief policy and then places that history in the context of recent and current stated policy goals of mitigating future impacts of climate change. This history is then compared to current understandings of how policy develops, specifically how exiting policies can frustrate new policy directions, which is discussed under the context of climate change communication. The goal is to highlight the importance of looking at the whole of government actions when attempting to incorporate climate change into the public discourse. The critical lesson from this case study is to understand how existing government policies can create incentives that influence perceptions of risk related to climate change, and thus complicate the development of new policy directions. In this example of US public flood insurance and disaster relief, historical treatments of climate-related risk need to be considered when attempting to communicate new understandings of climate change risk.

Examining legal and regulatory barriers to climate change adaptation in the coastal zone of the United States

Abstract This paper presents an analysis of key legal and regulatory instruments in the United States that impact climate adaptation planning. The analysis is framed within a social-institutional context, meaning the legal-regulatory environment is viewed from the perspective of the practices and norms that are created through existing laws and policies. Those norms and practices are then compared to current best practices for coastal climate adaptation to determine if and where divergence between recommended best practices and existing policy structures occurs. The results of this analysis suggest key policy instruments cumulatively act as barriers to adopting climate change assessment recommendations in coastal regions. The main causes for this disconnect between information and action seem to be historical path dependence, clear counter-incentives favoring coastal development, and multiple narratives of climate change, all of which diminish a unified public demand for coastal adaptation. Enumerated lessons presented from this analysis can be used as conceptual starting points when thinking about translating assessments of climate change into public action. In particular, the social-institutional framework provides an analytical construct for gaining insight into how existing legal and regulatory instruments influence adoption of proposed adaptation strategies, including highlighting when divergence between existing and proposed policies occurs.

The Conflicting Messages in Climate Change Communication: A US Coastal Management Example

The communication of climate change presents unique problems from a public policy standpoint. Specifically, the public narrative about climate change can act to reinforce existing worldviews or, in the alternative, aid in moving worldviews in new directions. Existing policies can help or hinder this process. For example, a long-standing policy can engender an acceptance of a narrative supporting climate change as a phenomenon. Alternatively, existing policies can reinforce an antagonistic or even fatalistic narrative of climate change. This article explores existing literature on the categorical narratives associated with climate change, including emerging support for those narratives. It then places those narratives into a public policy context by looking at some existing policies in the United States related to coastal hazard management in an era of climate change. The goal is to highlight the importance when considering the impact of both the chosen narrative of climate change and how existing policies influence public perception towards a particular narrative.

Risky business: Publicly insuring against rising tides

ABSTRACT This article uses the history and current state of publicly subsidized coastal flood insurance policy in the United States to highlight how perceptions of risk can be influenced by past and current policy practices. For the purposes of this article, public flood insurance premiums are used as a proxy for risk; higher premiums suggest greater risk, while lower premiums suggest lowered risk. By using coastal flood insurance as a proxy for flood risk, subjective factors of risk are highlighted and contextualized. The goal is to provide the reader with an example of the importance of considering both objective and subjective risk factors when developing and implementing climate change policies that make investments today to protect against future harm.

Competing narratives of climate change

ABSTRACT Communicating climate change presents unique problems from a public policy standpoint. Specifically, the public narrative about climate change can act to reinforce existing worldviews or, in the alternative, aid in moving worldviews in new directions. Existing policies can help or hinder this process. For example, a long-standing policy can engender an acceptance of a narrative supporting climate change as a phenomenon. Alternatively, existing policies can reinforce an antagonistic or even fatalistic narrative of climate change. This article explores existing literature on categorical narratives associated with climate change, including emerging support for those narratives. The goal is to highlight the importance of narrative in both communicating climate change and formulating public policy responses.

Armoring Against Coastal Climate Adaptation in the US: A Massachusetts Perspective

ABSTRACT Massachusetts, like many coastal states in the US, stands to be impacted from climate-induced sea level rise. As a result, climate-sensitive coastal policy instruments are critical for providing adequate adaptation options, including an option to allow coastal features to migrate inland. But the migration of coastal features is under threat due to extensive private armoring. This essay highlights specific regulatory instruments at the federal and state level dealing with hard armoring using Massachusetts as an example. It argues specific federal and state regulations legitimize and incentivize hard armoring over other coastal land use planning methods. The current level of armoring in Massachusetts is highlighted and implications under current federal and state policy frameworks are explained. Suggestions for coastal states planning for sea level rise are discussed, including the need for state planning to take the lead. Recommendations for changes at the federal level are also highlighted.