The Science-Policy Interface for Developing Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in Maryland

Climate change is causing perturbation to ecosystems worldwide and ongoing damages to communities necessitating the need to adapt by building resilience and reducing the vulnerabilities of people and infrastructure. Accordingly, policy-makers must sufficiently understand the effects of climate change and the communities' resilience capacities to it. This can be achieved by an efficient science-policy interface with respect to climate change adaptation planning. This type of interface would better position both scientists and decision-makers to more effectively address the priorities of communities impacted by climate change.;This dissertation examines the science-policy interface during the development of Maryland's climate change adaptation strategies and the incorporation of these strategies into PlanMaryland. This dissertation also presents a science-policy model founded on social capital that could lead to better-informed policies.