Climate Change, Community Resilience, and Restoration in the Gulf of Mexico

Co-hosted by the Environmental Law Institute, Gulf of Mexico University Research Collaborative (GOMURC), and the four Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant programs.

Friday, April 10, 2015
2:00 pm–4:00 pm ET
Webinar

Summary

View a recording below.

Many restoration planning documents and programs in the Gulf of Mexico highlight the need to address climate change impacts as part of the restoration framework. While precedent exists on how to integrate climate change into restoration decision-making, many post-Deepwater Horizon restoration projects fail to adequately address climate change impacts. At the same time, coastal communities in the Gulf of Mexico region are both on the front line of climate impacts, as well as the ones hit hardest by the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.

This webinar brought together a panel of experts to discuss the complex intersection of climate change, community resilience and Gulf of Mexico restoration, focusing on the challenges of and opportunities for creating restoration projects that both incorporate climate change considerations and are responsive to the needs of coastal communities.

MODERATOR:

  • Andrew Shepard, Florida Institute of Oceanography, Gulf of Mexico University Research Collaborative

SPEAKERS:

    • Dr. Kathryn Mengerink, (Director, Ocean Program, Environmental Law Institute) Overview of Gulf Restoration Programs

    • Dr. Robert Twilley, (Executive Director, Louisiana Sea Grant) Ecosystem Adaptation Climate Change Impacts on the Gulf Coast and Restoration Efforts

    • Jonathan Porthouse, (Senior Manager, Coastal Habitat Restoration, Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund) Integrating Climate Change Impacts into Restoration Planning and Projects

    • Colette Pichon Battle, (Executive Director, Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy) Climate Impacts on Communities and Options for Response

    • Dr. Tracie Sempier, (Coastal Storms Outreach Coordinator, Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant) Climate Change Decision-Making by Coastal Communities

This event is made possible by generous support from the Walton Family Foundation.

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