Nature-Based Solutions Within the Department of Defense: The Need to Reduce Risk for Its People and Infrastructure
–
McGowan MG102McGowan Building
411 Pacific St
Monterey, CA 93940 View in Campus Map
Free
Open to the Public

Climate change poses a great threat to the Department of Defense’s missions, installations, and built and natural infrastructure.
Nature-Based Solutions Within the Department of Defense: The Need to Reduce Risk for Its People and Infrastructure
Speaker: Ms. Emma Shipley, Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) Lead for the Climate Preparedness and Resilience Community of Practice (CPR CoP), HQ Engineering & Construction Division at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Monday, November 11, 2024
6:00pm to 7:30pm In-Person Event
Moved to Zoom event as of 11/11/24—details below
About the Topic
Climate change poses a great threat to the Department of Defense’s missions, installations, and built and natural infrastructure. The current administration sees the potential of nature-based solutions as a climate adaptation action that could provide multiple benefits to both on- and off-installation environments, while providing protection from ever increasing climate risks. The Department of Defense (and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) is taking great strides in its attempt to increase the implementation of NBS through guidance, collaboration, and taking a more holistic approach when considering how to increase installation and project resilience.
About the Speaker
Emma began her career at the Corps in September 2018 as a Regulatory Project Manager in the Los Angeles District. After a temporary position with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Environment & Energy Resilience (EI&E), she was recommended to join the CPR CoP as the NBS Lead in February 2022. In her current role, Emma is involved in many projects, not only with the Corps, but throughout the Department of Defense and other external Federal agencies. She is currently leading NBS guidance publication for the DoD Natural Resources Program, and the Corps, and has contributed to other NBS endeavors with the Navy, FEMA, Council on Environmental Quality, and others.
Her commitment for NBS grew out of her studies at MIIS, where she graduated with a Master of Arts in International Environmental Policy in May 2018. It all began while completing her Center for Blue Economy Fellowship, where she worked with the city of San Diego and the San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative focusing on “Living Shorelines” (as they were called) in Southern California. Emma’s commitment to NBS as a climate resilience action is ever growing and is excited to see it become more of a Federal priority.
Recommended Reading
- Climate Adaptation for DoD Natural Resource Managers: A Guide to Incorporating Climate Considerations into Integrated Natural Resource Management Plans
- Readiness & Environmental Protection Integration Program: Resilience Project Funding Guide
- Engineering With Nature for the Department of Defense
Zoom details
Zoom Meeting Room: Passcode7sQnmz
Questions
Contact Rachel Christopherson at the Center for the Blue Economy at cbe@miis.edu or (831) 647-4183.
Gratitude to Our Sponsors
We thank the Loker Hicks Foundation and the Nancy Eccles and Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation our sponsors.
About the Host
The Center for the Blue Economy is a research center at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, that provides economic and policy analysis to support the development of a robust and equitable blue economy for the 21st century. The Center uses the World Bank’s definition of the Blue Economy: the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health. We must maintain ocean health to maintain human health, economic health, and the health of the planet. Climate change is linked, inextricably, to a healthy ocean. We are co-leading a movement for Ocean Climate Action Now. Consider joining our Center for the Blue Economy Newsletter List (3-4x per year by email).