Climate Ready Communities at the National Adaptation Forum
The Climate Ready Communities team recently joined the excitement at the 4th National Adaptation Forum (NAF), the largest gathering of the climate adaptation community in North America that takes place every 2 years. It’s inspiring to be part of such a vibrant, diverse and motivated group. The numbers are not yet published for 2019, but it definitely felt like the largest attendance yet!
“We have been coming to NAF since its inception, and it is amazing how the conference has matured and changed over time. I remember the first year was focused on models and science. Now we’re talking about equity and inclusion, not just for communities, but for the adaptation field as well. And we’re talking about how to share what is working and not working so we can learn from each other. It’s exciting to be part of such a new and dynamic field.” Marni Koopman
The top themes at NAF2019 included tribal adaption, equitable adaptation, communication and engagement, indicators and monitoring, and actionable climate science, among others. There were over 100 sessions during the 3 day event.
“This was my second NAF event and I continue to be impressed by the passion of participants and all the great ideas they bring forward to the climate resilience community” Geoff Weaver
The Climate Ready Communities team helped fuel the exchange of ideas by leading a session on smaller cities and towns, as well as presenting in a session focused on rural America, and participating in the Poster and Tools session with the Climate Ready Communities program.
At our exhibit, we talked with many local government representatives as well as those from non-profits and federal and state agencies. We were pleased to hear from many different people of the good potential fit between our Climate Ready Communities program and community needs.
“It was great to share our experience helping smaller communities build climate resilience and to learn from friends and colleagues across the nation. I was particularly excited to participate in a conversation about how to get people in a variety of fields trained to address climate change in their work. I wish it was an annual gathering! ” Tonya Graham