Local Knowledge and Participatory Climate Change Planning in the Northeastern U.S

This chapter presents examples of U.S. local climate change planning in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. The processes initiated storm surge and sea level rise mitigation, adaptation and resilience plans in the context of national environmental conflict regarding climate change. Here, we highlight the constructive role local knowledge and experience can have in deliberative policy making and adaptive governance processes. These case studies utilized multiple methods of data collection including participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and content analysis. The elements that inspired communities to pursue adaptation were consistent across the case studies. The projects were framed using local values and did not directly challenge world views of participants. All had recent experience with extreme weather. Each benefitted from local “climate champions”. Finally, each had access to technical assistance providers who engaged in collaborative learning. Local participatory planning processes that use tools like COAST and the NOAA Roadmap connect technical tools with social, political, and economic realities. They provide a container within which communities are empowered to have difficult conversations about needed responses to sea level rise and storm surge. Novel in the COAST approach is the integration of visual 3D graphics with benefit-cost analysis, entirely stakeholder driven model parameters, and the focus on stakeholders’ identified values as resources that inspire action.