Resources

Organizations and Programs

• UNC Center for the Study of Natural Hazards and Disasters is a research center devoted to the rigorous interdisciplinary study and practice of disaster resilience. The Center aims to improve resilience by conducting research on natural hazards and disasters, conveying the results to broad audiences and by translating that information into practice. The UNC Hazards Center is also the research lead for the Department of Homeland Security Coastal Hazards Center of Excellence (CHC). CHC performs research in coastal hazards modeling, coastal engineering, planning, and the social sciences and develops educational and translational programs in hopes of better protecting populations, properties, and economies from the threats posed by natural hazards and disasters.
• Environmental Law Project - an organization of UNC-Chapel Hill law students who share an interest in the legal and political aspects of national, state, and local environmental issues. The primary goal of ELP is to expand the opportunities available to law students in the area of environmental law.
• UNC Institute for the Environment - joins together individual campus departments and centers in interdisciplinary research, education and engagement, and creates new areas of study in response to some of our most pressing environmental challenges.
• The Center for Environment, Energy and Natural Resources at the University of Houston - links energy issues with impacts on environment and natural resources, and provides a forum for education and discussion of the most important issues of the day, such as climate change, air pollution, clean coal and renewable energy.
• The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University is a non-partisan research institute focused on providing policy makers with comprehensive information on the environmental and economic impacts of potential legislation and regulations.
• Pew Center on Global Climate Change has issued multiple reports, including Climate Change Adaptation: What Federal Agencies are Doing, a 2009 paper on state and local adaptation plans, and an interactive state map.
• The Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University Law School examines legal facets of climate change law and policy, and has links tracing the advancement of climate change law.
• The Georgetown Climate Center at Georgetown Law School has a special focus on the efforts of local, state, and regional governments to address climate change. They publish a summary of existing state and local adaptation plans.
• The Emmett Center for climate change at UCLA law school has been a leading scholar of California's climate change efforts.
• The Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange, created to build a shared knowledge base for managing natural systems in the face of climate change.
• Seattle University's Summer in Alaska Program is a program out of Seattle University School of Law that includes 8 weeks in Anchorage, where students take the class Alaska Natives and Environmental Law for Credit, and can also work in supervised legal placements. This is the only law school course taught in Alaska. It addresses the interaction between the environment, energy, and Alaska Native's legal status, and is co-taught by professor Victor B. Flatt, the Tom & Elizabeth Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law and Director of the Center for Law, Environment, Adaptation, and Resources (CLEAR) at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Federal Agencies and Policies

• Climate Change Adaptation and Task Force
• Interagency Report
• Implementing Instructions
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Adaptation
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - Coastal Climate Adaptation

State and Local Plans and Policy

• North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
• Climate Action Plan Advisory Group (CAPAG) - a voluntary stakeholder advisory group which published its final report in October, 2008.
• NC Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change - created in 2005 to study global climate change and determine the best methods for reducing the production of greenhouse gases in NC. It published its final report and recommendations for mitigation and adaptation in May, 2010, and then was dismantled as the General Assembly did not renew its charter.
• NC Interagency Leadership Team - make up of decision makers from across the state, the ILT is looking for ways to enhance North Carolina's resilience to climate change. A workshop, Planning for North Carolina's Future: Ask the Climate Question, was held in March 2010.

Periodicals and Other Resources

• Flatt Out Environmental - Victor Flatt, director of CLEAR, blogs regularly on climate change, environment, and energy for the Houston Chronicle.
• Center for Progressive Reform - Blogs on environment, safety and regulation, including posts by Victor Flatt.