Human Dimensions of Climate Change

Natural resource agencies are challenged not only by climate change impacts on terrestrial and marine resources, but also by related effects on human communities that depend on these lands and waters. These effects include changes in economic activity, subsistence practices, demographic trends, human health, recreation, infrastructure, and community resilience. While there are many policy documents addressing the human dimensions of climate change, there is little guidance directly relevant to the operational challenges of resource management. The Human Dimensions of Climate Change: An Interagency Collaborative (HDCC) has been developed to fill this need.

A Framework for Action - Objectives of HDCC

In collaboration with resource managers, HDCC will offer information, guidance, and applied research on the human dimensions of climate change to inform operational decisions. Specific objectives include:

• Sustain a community of practice on the human dimensions of climate change that facilitates sharing of information and experience among scientists, managers, and community members.
• Provide an interagency forum to apply and evaluate practices, data sets, and indicators concerning the human dimensions of climate change.
• Using this information, develop a common framework across agencies for assessing and responding to the human effects of climate change relevant to resource management.

Initial activities

Over the next two to three years, HDCC will work in concert with natural resource managers to:

• Identify key questions on the human dimensions of climate change to prioritize information needs.
• Conduct case studies involving a range of resources and jurisdictions to identify information gaps and potential solutions through improved practices, data sets, and indicators.
• Develop a set of principles and guidelines to encourage a consistent approach across agencies and jurisdictions to collecting and applying information on the human dimensions of climate change.

Participants The HDCC Collaborative seeks participation by social scientists and other staff in environmental and natural resource agencies, as well as climate change researchers in academia, nongovernmental organizations, and industry.

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