Multi-Level Climate Adaptation and Governance Across Individual, Household, Community, and City Levels

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

Extreme climate events—extreme heat and cold—are becoming more frequent globally and are a leading cause of heat-related mortality worldwide. Despite their widespread impacts on human health, wildlife, and ecosystems, a holistic, systematic approach to climate adaptation across multiple levels of governance remains limited. Existing adaptive policies often focus on specific governance levels, overlooking how strategies can be aligned to enhance overall climate resilience. A more integrated understanding of climate adaptation behaviors and policies is needed to avoid maladaptation and unintended trade-offs.

This panel brings together four studies examining the intersection of extreme weather events, adaptation behavior, and public policy. It offers a unique opportunity to explore climate adaptation strategies across multiple levels of governance. Each paper leverages novel data and rigorous methods within the domains of environmental policy, public health, and energy systems.

The first paper, by Dennis, Nilesh, and Kosali, examines how extreme heat and cold affect individuals’ consumption-related health behaviors using national retail scanner data, household panel data, and high-resolution weather data at the county level. It discusses implications for mitigating behavioral responses to extreme weather events. The second paper, by Ma, investigates determinants of U.S. household behavior under energy insecurity and evaluates whether the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) mitigates maladaptive responses to utility disconnection risk and extreme heat exposure. Using household survey data, the study finds that disconnection notices increase maladaptive behaviors, while LIHEAP significantly mitigates these effects and improves energy affordability.

The third paper, by Bukovnik, builds on an innovative physiological approach to assess extreme heat exposure by identifying whether heat thresholds are exceeded in 277 cities worldwide using climatological data. The study finds that older adults and certain cities are more likely to exceed these thresholds, offering important implications for heat governance and policy. Finally, Ahn examines how the built environment and health infrastructure influence heat-related illnesses in Arizona, where extreme heat is a major public health concern. Using Community Statistical Area data from the Arizona Department of Health Services, the study finds that older buildings and limited hospital access increase heat-related illness rates, particularly in rural and smaller communities. One limitation is the lack of tribal data due to ethical and logistical constraints.

This panel aligns with the conference theme, Fifty States, Fifty Systems: State Policy Variations and Impacts. By examining climate adaptation at the individual, household, community, and city levels, these studies highlight both the challenges and opportunities of decentralized climate governance. Overall, the panel demonstrates that effective climate adaptation requires alignment across governance levels to support coherent and resilient policy responses to extreme climate events.

Policy Area

• Natural Resource, Energy, and Environmental Policy

Discussants

• Trevor Memmott, University of Massachusetts at Boston

• Brandyn F Churchill, American University

Organizer

• Minwoo Ahn, College of Charleston

Individual Presentations

• Extreme Weather and Healthy Behaviors: Evidence from Retail Alcohol and Tobacco Sales - Presenting Author: Dennis Vera, Indiana University

• Energy Insecurity, Extreme Heat, and Maladaptive Coping: The Moderating Role of LIHEAP under Utility Disconnection Risk - Presenting Author: Chenyi Ma, Kean University

• Crossing the Threshold: A Global Analysis of 277 Cities Reveals Unequal and Increasing Urban Heat Risk - Presenting Author: Isabel Bukovnik, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Built Environment, Hospital Access, and Heat Related Illnesses in Arizona - Presenting Author: Minwoo Ahn, College of Charleston