On October 29-30, a hands-on professional development course for leaders interested in learning how to manage the risks posed by climate change will take place in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The course will focus on how local, regional and state governments are already feeling the effects of climate change and face greater risks down the road – from sea level rise to storm intensification. The course will explore understanding these threats and developing ways of responding to them in the near term can minimize risks and costs in the years ahead. Taught by experts in public engagement, adaptation and scenario planning, the course will teach participants how to:
- Assess the local risks associated with climate change
- Evaluate potential strategies for reducing vulnerability and enhancing resiliency
- Build consensus at the community or regional level about which strategies to pursue.
The course is sponsored by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, taught by the Consensus Building Institute, and co-sponsored by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the Coastal States Organization and the City of Boston. Course instructors will include: Lawrence Susskind (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Consensus Building Institute), Patrick Field (the Consensus Building Institute), Ona Ferguson (the Consensus Building Institute), Melissa Stults (ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability USA); Marina Alberti (Urban Ecology Research Laboratory, University of Washington) and Paul Kirshen (Battelle). It will take place at Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 113 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA. There is no registration fee and registration is first come first served. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. For more information see the Lincoln Institute’s website. To register, e-mail lincolninstitute@resource-plus.comp; or call (888) 845.8759.