I’m Michal, co-founder and president of RSFIC. I just listened to the latest episode of Crazy Town in which the host has a conversation with the founder of American Resiliency (an Iowan by the way, named Emily Schoerning). Dr. Schoerning is very clear and to the point about what our climate data and models are telling us and what they mean for specific regions of the country.  She made one thing very clear to me in this episode: we have already reached 1.5 degrees of warming and the window for adaptation is right now. 

To break that down a little bit, we have reached 1.5 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels (and remember, that was the original level we wanted to stay beneath in order to avoid certain tipping points). 

I hadn't fully clocked that we reached that level in 2023 and have stayed there. I really hadn't clocked that we reached that level of warming suddenly and sooner than expected. 

She also explains that, when talking about climate solutions, we often hear about mitigation strategies. Meaning, we are talking about reducing greenhouse gases by transitioning to renewable energy sources or to eat less meat. While yes, we need to reduce consumption, the time has passed to avoid said warming. Instead, we need to get ready to adapt now, before we hit 2 degrees. 

That is such a clear and understandable call to action. 

It made me think about what adaptation strategies we (as in our community, not we as in RSFIC) have/are deploying here in Iowa City. 

For example, 

• the University has done significant adaptation work around the river. Knowing that we are likely to experience future flood events, they have built infrastructure to be ready to protect buildings that will likely be impacted.
  
  
• the Iowa City government has been investing in street trees. Knowing that we will experience more extreme heat events, the city is finding ways to cool our neighborhoods. When the hot summer sun bakes cement all day, it raises temperatures; thus, we plant more trees along the roads to shade streets and homes.
  
  
• the county government has been investing in local food production through their work supporting growers on the historic poor farm, direct grants to local producers, and support for our local food hub that connects producers with large consumers, like the school district.  Knowing that our global food system is fragile and will become more so as extreme weather, pest, and political events wipe out crops, developing a strong local and regional food system now is critical work. 

These are a few examples of the top down adaptation underway. 

There are also examples of more grassroots adaptation in our community that you can participate in this next week. Schoerning points out that mitigation strategies are often about things we shouldn't do and humans are bad at hearing things we shouldn't do. But adaptation strategies can often be about positive visions of our future; they can be fun and creative. 

• The Iowa City Repair Cafe is adapting by reorienting us to repair over buying new. Knowing that the availability of cheap consumer goods will deplete in times of more expensive fossil fuels and global disruption, Repair Cafe aims to not only fix things that might otherwise end up in the landfill but also teach folks repair skills. Check it out this Saturday 11:00am-3:00pm at the Eastside Recycling Center.
  
  
• Iowa City Transition Town is an informal group that works on helping Iowa City make a positive transition to a post-carbon reality. On Thursday you can come to a discussion series to talk with others about these issues. Climate Cafe, February 19th, Green House in downtown Iowa City, 6:00-7:30 PM.
  
  
• RSFIC's Stories of Community event shares stories of people in our community building resilience by getting together. Come celebrate three stories of local solidarity on Saturday, February 28th, at 12:30.

Given that we are in such a critical time for developing and implementing these adaptation strategies, what else might we be doing to be ready for floods, droughts, extreme heat, food system disruptions, and power outages?

It's budget season for our local government. Are there adaptation projects you think should rise up the priority ladder?  Now is a good time to contact your councilors and supervisors. 

Peace be with you,

Michal

_____

PS

Our county government set a one year moratorium on data center construction in Johnson County. The energy and water demands of AI are great.

So not having massive power-sucking data centers is a pretty important strategy for being resilient to extreme weather and having control over our destiny. 

Say thanks to a county supervisor next time you see them.