Introduction

For this discussion, you will explore a climate portal* and find, assess, and comment on a vulnerability assessment. Common climate portals are the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (http://www.cakex.org/), Pacific Climate Change Portal (https://www.pacificclimatechange.net/), World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (http://sdwebx.worldbank.org/climateportal/), and USAID Climate Links (https://www.climatelinks.org/). You are not limited to exploring these portals, as there are many for you to discover and choose from. Note that the Supplemental Readings contain a report on vulnerability assessments in several U.S. cities.

During your search, you will come across VAs that document impacts based on a combination of historic trends and future projections (e.g., historic sea level rise impacts on infrastructure and the future vulnerability to the areas infrastructure). Take note of the methodologies, scales, stakeholder groups, and other findings.

There are three objectives for this assignment:

      Learn to navigate a climate portal that contain many VAs;

      Evaluate and critique a VA considering the knowledge gained from materials, and;

      Comment on the value of the VA for the intended users.

Method of evaluation: This assignment is worth 50 points, and will be graded based in part on the Discussion Rubric 2.

The VA must have been used to assess a human system
The VA must have been conducted within the past 18 months
Your first post should be 500-600 words and include the following parts:
o  Description of the climate portal you are introducing

o  Intended audience of the VA (e.g., explicitly name who will use the VA)

o  Description of the VA, including actors, methods, and the system being assessed

o  Timeframe used in the assessment (the VA may refer to projection, horizon, timescale, etc.)

o  Costs of the adaptation options and recommended actions that result from the VA. If options and recommendations are not offered, comment on why they are absent and speculate on who would pay to reduce vulnerabilities.

Please answer all questions.  Must use footnotes.