The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) recently released a statement showing concern regarding the findings that were outlined in Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability the second research assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which supports the increased focus on restoring ecosystems and implementing 'climate resilient development' practices to help vulnerable communities.

 

According to ASLA, many expected climate impacts are now "increasingly irreversible" and worse than anticipated.

"Landscape architects have been increasingly alarmed by the climate impacts they have heard from communities, researched, and witnessed themselves. The vast majority of practicing landscape architects surveyed last year have been actively educating their partners about the need to adopt climate resilient practices to address extreme heat, flooding, and other increasingly dangerous impacts immediately," ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen explained, "We are committed to advancing resilience strategies that will help communities not only in the U.S. but also internationally."

The association also notes that green infrastructure and ecosystem services, sustainable land use and urban planning, water efficiency, coastal zone management and defenses, and sustainable urban water management, are all areas in which landscape architects plan and design solutions are highlighted as key adaptation solutions.