Opening Plenary

Welcome Remarks

Alex Halliday, Founding Dean, Columbia Climate School and Director, Earth Institute
Alex de Sherbinin, Senior Research Scientist and Associate Director for Science Applications, Center for International Earth Science Information Network and conference Co-Chair

Keynotes
Jacqueline Patterson, Senior Director, Environmental and Climate Justice Program, NAACP
A.R. Siders, Assistant Professor, University of Delaware

Panel: Adaptation and Retreat in Coastal Cities: Perspectives from Local Government

Coastal cities are dense, interconnected, and vibrant cultural centers that have long celebrated their connections to water. Climate change complicates the already formidable challenges of maintaining thriving neighborhoods and economies. Already, sea level rise is exacerbating high tide flooding in coastal cities and is changing how local governments provide services to residents and communities. Against a backdrop of systems that continue to marginalize communities of color and low-income communities, municipal governments must design programs that focus on the health and well-being of all residents.

In this panel, representatives from Vancouver, Miami-Dade County and New York City will explore how locals governments are approaching sea level rise adaptation in long-term planning and day-to-day operations.

• Angela Danyluk, Senior Sustainability Specialist | Planning, Urban Design & Sustainability | City of
Vancouver
• Nichole Hefty, Deputy Resilience Officer | Miami-Dade Dept. of Regulatory and Economic Resources | Miami-Dade County
• Eric Wilson, Deputy Director, Land Use & Buildings | Mayor's Office of Climate Resiliency | New
York City
• Carlos Martín, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute (Moderator)

Part of the Earth Institute's 2021 Managed Retreat conference