Perceptions on Climate Change and Resilience by Water-Resource Decisionmakers in Texas

Climate change is expected to deeply affect the water resources of Texas; however, it is not recognized by state leaders as a concern, and recent legislative sessions have not passed any bills that consider climate change. To accommodate the lack of leadership it is vital to learn how to effectively engage with stakeholders so mitigation strategies can be efficiently developed. The first step is to learn how professional stakeholders involved in water planning policy and implementation in Texas consider (or do not consider) climate change and its impacts on water resources. These positions require specialized knowledge and exposure to experiences that might promote differences in perceptions between this population and the public. We administered a survey to water professionals working at regional water planning groups, groundwater conservation districts, river authorities, water suppliers and wholesalers, and water utilities in Texas. The goal was to extract perceptions on climate change and resilience and evaluate the potential to develop effective frameworks for engagement. The results demonstrate that professionals are similar in their perceptions of climate change with the public at multiple spatial and temporal scales and that resistance to participation in frameworks of climate change does not equate to resistance to engagement with frameworks of resilience.