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Abstract
In contrast to the national-level policies found in most developed nations, in the USA, sub-national governments have emerged as leaders in formulating climate change policy. Yet participation is uneven, and little is understood about why some act and others do not. This paper examines two sets of factors for their influence on climate change adaptation planning in communities of the Great Plains. Using survey data collected from a range of natural resources managers in 900+ jurisdictions in 12 states, the study examines the impact of perceived barriers to climate change planning and the natural environment on the probability that jurisdictions will engage in adaptation planning. The findings show that most jurisdictions remain sceptical of climate change and see no need to engage in adaptation planning. Among those that have begun to plan or have a plan in place already, the strongest influence comes from changes in the physical environment itself.
Acknowledgements
The authors express thanks to Andrea Hewitt for her assistance with the figure. The authors also thank the anonymous reviewers for their feedback and helpful suggestions.
Funding
The research was conducted through the Northern Great Plains Center for People and the Environment at the University of North Dakota under funding from the NASA Applied Sciences Program.
Supplemental data
Endnote texts are given in the online version. Supplemental data for this article can be accessed http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2014.880647