Western Governors Adopt Report on Climate Adaptation Priorities

Across the western United States, we are already experiencing the adverse impacts of climate
change on our environment, infrastructure, economies and communities.

Clearly, we must
implement new management strategies to build a resilient West.
Western governors recognize the need to work together to respond to these changes, which
stand to greatly affect our quality of life. In 2009, the Western Governors’ Association (WGA)
adopted a policy resolution titled Supporting the Integration of Climate Change Adaptation
Science in the West.

This resolution represented the governors’ interest in a coordinated
response to climate change impacts and in including climate science in our policy and
management activities.
The WGA created a Climate Adaptation Work Group, composed of western state experts in
air, forests, water and wildlife to recommend next steps. The enclosed Scoping Report is the
result of its work.

The report contains important recommendations for building a West that is
resilient in the face of challenges posed by a changing climate. We are grateful to the work
group and all of the partners who contributed their time and expertise to this effort.

Western states will be on the front lines of climate response, and we are uniquely positioned
to lead on this issue. We are pleased to share this report with you, and we urge continued and
determined steps toward building state capacity to respond to climate change in the West.

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor of California

Bill Richardson
Governor of New Mexico

Full Report: http://www.westgov.org/