The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP): An Emerging Community of Practice for AMS Climate Services Partnerships

Over the last five years, the field of climate change adaptation in the United States has matured and advanced considerably. The needs of people working in the field, the challenges posed by changing climate conditions, and the suite of tools, resources, and organizations have each grown significantly over that time. An increasing number of entities working nationally and at the state and local levels have undertaken adaptation-driven vulnerability assessments, adapted resource management practices, and instituted changes in planning and public policy. A broader range of communities is now realizing the prevalence and seriousness of climate change and the need to better prepare for and manage those impacts. With start-up funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and Kresge Foundation along with organizational support from the Institute for Sustainable Communities, the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP), now 832 members strong, connects a broad group of practitioners from academia, government, industry and community. Formed in 2011, ASAP advances the field by providing a unifying professional identity for practitioners currently engaged in largely unconnected endeavors across the nation, and serves as a hub to interconnect people, ideas, and solutions that build climate resilience across the U.S. The primary audience for ASAP is self-identified climate adaptation practitioners operating within public, private, nonprofit institutions within the United States engaged in practical application and furthering the understanding of adaptation. ASAP was formed to provide hope and inspiration, create a sense of community, build professional capacity, and connect the ideas and individuals working on building resilience and adapting to the impacts of climate change.

ASAP's mission is: to foster and encourage climate resilient, adaptive communities across the country through educating the public and by creating a platform for thought leaders, professionals, and scholars to develop and implement climate resilient adaptation practices. ASAP will continue building awareness of the tools, techniques, and approaches that adaptation practitioners are using daily to advance their craft, and identify and celebrate promising practices for widespread replication. These actions will benefit cities and communities around the country as practitioners provide services to their respective institutions and work to build climate resilience across the nation. ASAP has grown successfully via a regular newsletter, periodic webinars, via Affinity Groups, including Research, Policy, Projects and Evaluation, and All Hazards Planning and Resilience, sponsoring and organizing the now heralded biannual National Adaptation Forum, and the recently awarded Prize for Progress that highlights the leadership of U.S. communities and organizations that have reduced net losses and decreased the vulnerability of natural/human systems to extreme weather events and climate change.