Beyond Adaptation Plans: Measuring Success in the Next Era of Federal Climate Adaptation

In episode 258 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons speaks with Dr. Bryan Hubbell, Senior Fellow at Resources for the Future and former EPA research leader, about how climate adaptation can move from good intentions to measurable results. Drawing on nearly three decades at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Bryan reflects on EPA's often-overlooked role in advancing adaptation across public health, ecosystems, wildfire smoke, and contaminated sites. Doug and Bryan explore one of the field's biggest challenges: how to determine whether adaptation efforts are actually reducing climate risk. They discuss the need for stronger evidence, better knowledge sharing, and new ways to connect research with real-world decision making. The conversation also looks ahead to the next era of federal climate adaptation, examining how a future administration can rebuild adaptation capacity while creating stronger institutions that help communities learn, innovate, and better prepare for a changing climate.

Transcript of episode available here.

Go Deeper: We turned this conversation into a concise Policy Brief that captures the episode's key insights, practical recommendations, and implications for adaptation policy. Download it here.

New! Download the companion Meeting-in-a-Box—a ready-to-use facilitation guide that distills the episode's key insights into a one-hour discussion designed to help your team turn ideas into action.

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Links in this episode:

Adaptation Evidence Bank poster presented at the 2026 National Adaptation Forum

Proposed Climate Adaptation and Resilience Evidence Bank (CAREB) + Adaptation and Resilience Incubator and Accelerator (ARIA)

Climate Change Impacts on Environmental Protection at the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: A Horizon Scan

How the Trump Administration Ended Independent Science at the E.P.A.

Key Themes Covered in This Episode

• Measuring climate adaptation success
• Lessons from nearly three decades at EPA
• Turning adaptation research into better decisions
• Building stronger adaptation institutions
• Preparing for the next era of federal climate adaptation
  
  For Educators & Students

• Climate adaptation policy
• Measuring adaptation success
• Evidence-based decision making
• Federal climate adaptation
• Institutionalizing climate adaptation

Who Should Listen to This Episode

• Climate adaptation professionals
• Federal, state, and local government leaders
• Resilience and sustainability practitioners
• Researchers and university students
• Anyone interested in the future of climate adaptation governance

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