As California’s climate changes, many communities will need to adapt to new conditions. However, adaptation is challenging, made more so by the complex web of agencies and organizations involved. This complexity can undermine efforts to ensure adaptation strategies are applied equitably.
This project began to map the various institutions and actors that make up the governance network overseeing climate adaptation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta). In addition to analyzing previously collected interview data, Pozzi designed, tested and distributed the “Delta Adaptation Survey,” which assesses, among other variables, what challenges stakeholders face as they adapt to climate change and what networks they interact with. The survey reached over 1,000 individuals involved in or affiliated with adaptation projects, plans or collaborative forums in the Delta region and over 650 organizations, spanning all levels of government agencies, non-governmental organizations and Tribal entities. Another round of data collection will be conducted in October 2024 and a summary report will be produced by the end of the year.
One takeaway is that venues for formal collaboration are key for coordinating organizations that work on climate adaptation issues. There were 15 adaptation-related collaboratives identified through this research effort, with at least one collaborative in every Delta county. Overall, respondents showed favorable opinions of participating in collaborative forums, with some variation in scores depending on the collaborative topic and geographic scale of work. For example, local collaboratives had the highest performance ratings and, alternatively, actors working primarily in the context of urban land use reported the lowest forum performance ratings.
During interviews for this project, many participants noted a shift in engagement, with
groups that were traditionally underrepresented in Delta decision-making processes now participating more meaningfully. The survey reveals how Tribal entities and environmental justice organizations are positioned within the network of Delta actors, which, along with ratings of collaborative forums, provides baseline data to understand the nature and evolution of collaborations in the Delta.