a(broad) perspective
While discussion of adapting to climate change is finally beginning to take off in the United States, other governments from Bangladesh to the Netherlands have already laid the foundation to develop concrete policies and implement strategies to address the impacts. Last week, a report released by the UK’s Environment Agency specifically identified relocation of coldwater fish as a possible direct response to the effects of climate change. We're going to be hearing a lot more in the coming years about assisted migration like this—the intentional relocation of flora or fauna to a new region as a climate change impacts occur.
As a climate change adaptation strategy, assisted migration engenders significant controversy among scientists and policymakers alike. The clear benefit, and intended purpose, is to prevent the extinction of a species that can no longer survive in a changed climate. However, assisted migration raises serious questions about which species to relocate and to where they should be moved. The relocated species are effectively invasive species, which may introduce new diseases, pests, or other unintended consequences. Along with habitat degradation, invasive species are the biggest threat to biodiversity and endangered species. In addition, relocated species may not survive in isolation, so simply moving one targeted species may not ensure its survival.
In the UK, the Environment Agency is "exploring" moving thousands of vendace and schelly, both freshwater white fish, from the northern Lake District in England to cooler waters in Scotland. While still in the planning stages, this strategy represents a remarkably specific and dramatic response to climate change. As with many countries, climate change in the UK is expected to cause an increase in the average temperature and reduced summer rainfall, which lead to higher water temperatures and reduced river flows. Coldwater and migratory fish are particularly sensitive to these changes because increased temperatures and reduced flow affect the breeding and development of these fish. For example, the Environment Agency has linked the alarming decline of eel populations over the past three decades to climate change and rising water temperatures.
By one study, climate change is predicted to cause the extinction of 15 to 37 percent of species in certain regions. Such dramatic declines may warrant dramatic responses such as assisted migration. CPR Member Scholar Alex Camacho recently wrote about the legal and regulatory barriers to assisted migration in the United States, which are likely reflected across much of the world. A proponent of this strategy, he concludes in part that the “prior account of a pristine and untouched nature may be nearing its end.” Instead of a pessimistic forecast, Camacho asserts that this creates the opportunity to move forward by marrying “humanity’s collective self-interest in resource conservation and duties of stewardship” for dynamic biotic and human communities. As assisted migration projects take place around the world, they will provide valuable lessons for how to conduct responsible and successful relocations in our own backyard.
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Yee Huang | February 1, 2011
a(broad) perspective While discussion of adapting to climate change is finally beginning to take off in the United States, other governments from Bangladesh to the Netherlands have already laid the foundation to develop concrete policies and implement strategies to address the impacts. Last week, a report released by the UK’s Environment Agency specifically identified relocation of […]
Dan Rohlf | January 28, 2011
In his State of the Union speech to Congress Tuesday night, President Obama suggested that reducing inefficient federal bureaucracy can help reduce federal spending and promote economic growth. Stretching to find a lighthearted example of government ineptness, the President quipped that “the Interior Department is in charge of salmon while they’re in fresh water, but […]
Rena Steinzor | January 26, 2011
On Capitol Hill this morning, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is holding a hearing on what it describes as the “Views of the Administration on Regulatory Reform.” The star witness will be Cass Sunstein, head of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, better known as the “regulatory […]
Ben Somberg | January 25, 2011
Momentum for Chesapeake Bay restoration has advanced significantly in the past two years, shaped by the combination of President Obama’s Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration Executive Order and the EPA’s Bay-wide Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) process. These federal initiatives, taken in partnership with the Bay states, required the Bay states and the District of […]
Daniel Farber | January 24, 2011
Cross-posted from Legal Planet. In his book Bayou Farewell, Mike Tidwell tells some haunting stories about the rapid disappearance of the Louisiana coast from his time with Cajun fisherman. Here’s one story: “We all pile into the crab boat and Tim tells his son to head down the bayou. A few hundred feet away . […]
Ben Somberg | January 19, 2011
In case anyone thought the White House would seek additional appropriations to hire new agency staffers to do the regulatory look back work, it sure sounds like a no. Here’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Administrator Cass Sunstein speaking on Federal News Radio: “Agencies are in the best position to make choices about which […]
Rena Steinzor | January 18, 2011
Sixteen months ago, President Obama stood in the well of Congress and issued a ringing call for a progressive vision of government. Working to persuade Members of Congress to adopt health care reform, he said that “large-heartedness…is part of the American character. Our ability to stand in other people’s shoes. A recognition that we are all […]
Rena Steinzor | January 18, 2011
President Obama’s op-ed in the Wall Street Journal this morning touted EPA’s “deregulation” of the artificial sweetener saccharin as a positive development for America. Inadvertently, the president made EPA look silly for having regulated the stuff in the first place. The use of this example was also unfortunate because EPA’s decision to deregulate had little consequence. Here’s the […]
Sidney A. Shapiro | January 14, 2011
Republican legislators have been scheming for years about ways that they can slow down, if not stop, needed health, safety and environmental regulations. But their latest effort, though creative, is perhaps their most ill-conceived. They’re calling it “The REINS Act” (in the last Congress, H.R. 3765 sponsored by Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY), S. 3826 sponsored by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)), […]