To truly rise to the challenges of a changing climate requires strategic partnerships with other experts in the field, collaborative identification of climate concerns, and the codevelopment of effective solutions. It requires both iterative and transformational changes that are grounded in the experiences of the local communities. It requires explicitly building equity into adaptation, systems thinking, and interdisciplinary action. We lean into this complexity and intentionally focus on the process and design solutions that work.
The Adaptation International Team has decades of experience supporting Tribal, state, city, and county governments as they adapt to climate change. We are experts in engaging with communities to understand their unique needs and values. Combining climate resilience expertise, local and Traditional Knowledges, and deeply rooted community relationships, we provide a custom-built team for each community that supports leaders with adaptation strategies and equitable solutions that their residents can support. With well-designed and tailored guidance and tools, our partners can successfully incorporate climate resilience solutions into equitable, ethical, and effective practices. Together, we empower communities to thrive in the 21st century and beyond.
justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI)
Adaptation International is committed to embedding and centering Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) principles in all facets of our work to support communities as they adapt and build resilience to a changing climate.
Our Process
In many ways, the resilience journey is just as important as the destination. In our work with communities across the country, we at Adaptation International have developed and refined a customized project and community engagement process that reflects our values. Our approach ensures that the right people are involved from the outset, centers Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI), and creates the framework to empower communities take ownership of changes in their own community. This active engagement creates detailed assessments of a community’s valued resources that are most at risk, and adaptation strategies that are effective because they are guided by community expertise, experience, and knowledges.
Our Experience
Adaptation International has an exceptionally qualified team of recognized national experts on climate change resilience. Founder and Director Sascha Petersen has been a lead author in the last two National Climate Assessments, the Great Plains Region (2014) and the Pacific Northwest Region (2018). In 2017, the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan that we developed in collaboration with the 1854 Treaty Authority won the National Climate Adaptation Leadership Award for Natural Resources. We have more than a decade of experience in: climate change science, strategic planning, spatial analysis, public policy, public health, workshop development, and stakeholder engagement and collaboration. With direct experience working with communities, agencies, and academic institutions, our team can help your community bridge the gap between science and action.
Our Core Values
Leadership Through Innovation
Communities across the U.S. are already experiencing the impacts of climate change today, and those impacts are only going to get worse. Staying on the leading edge of climate preparedness requires innovation, flexibility, and strong leadership. We are leaders in the field and valuable advisors that bridge the gap between theory and practice, science and action, and use our experiences to continually refine and inform our approaches.
Collaboration is Paramount
Climate solutions and actions cannot be developed in isolation. By working collaboratively with our partners and clients across sectors, we’re better able to build lasting capacities and resilience for our clients.
Center Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)
The first and worst impacts of climate change are being felt by communities that have a history of (and are still experiencing) marginalization, injustice, and trauma; these communities are almost always under-represented and often given minimal decision-making agency. At Adaptation International, we believe the only way to develop effective lasting climate solutions is by learning from, and building on, the leadership and expertise of all community members to meaningfully shape the process and learn from one another.
We Are More Than Our Work
Climate change is a serious challenge, but we don’t approach our work as a somber grind. We are real people with families and personal interests and passions. We strive to support the whole person and foster a work/life balance within the organization. This balance allows our team to work hard, play hard, grow both personally and professionally, and make a difference in the world through both our work as Adaptation International and in our personal interests and actions.
Process Matters
The journey of building climate resilience is as important as the destination. Thus, in all the work we do, the process is as critical as the outputs. A well-designed planning process rooted in industry best practices and transformative change creates a lasting foundation that our clients and partners can build on to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate.
Local and Traditional Knowledges are Critical
Developing effective solutions requires integrating the best available science with the local and Traditional Knowledges that our partners bring to each project. No one knows what climate resilience should look like for their community better than the local and regional partners we work with, and we trust that knowledge and support those visions.
