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Climate Change Adaptation - Kansas

Climate Change Adaptation - Kansas

State Seal of Kansas

        Threat to Water Supply and Quality     Threat from Intensified Weather Events    Threat from drought     Threat to Natural Habitat and Wildlife     Adaptation planning completed     Studies in progress  
           
                                           







Climate Change History

Kansas currently has no climate action plan.  A climate plan advisory group was formed in 2008 and disbanded in 2009 without completing its work.  The state is a signatory on the Midwest Governor’s Association Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord but has not put a high priority on implementing the recommendations.  There is no consensus on the impacts of climate change in Kansas’ state politics but many state agencies are pursuing actions that will indirectly build resiliency against specific climate change effects.

Current & Future Action

Kansas’ various agencies are engaged in work focused on certain specific effects of climate change, rather than working jointly under the direction of a central plan.  As pertains to wetlands, the state faces a shortage of information about the location, disposition, and nature of wetlands within the State’s borders.  To address this, the Kansas Water Office has partnered with the U.S. EPA to develop a standardized methodology for the remote sensing and detection of wetlands using LiDAR technology.

Pilot Programs/Current Studies

Kansas’ 10 Year Strategic Plan to Control Tamarisk and Other Non-Native Phreatophytes: http://www.kwo.org/reports_publications/Reports/Rpt_Tamarisk_10-Year_Plan_FINAL_120805_sm.pdf

Kansas LiDAR fact sheet: http://www.aswm.org/pdf_lib/draft_lidar_fs_green_wetlands.pdf

For More Information

For additional information contact Debra Baker at Debra.Baker@kwo.ks.gov