U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Collaborative Approach to Twenty-First Century Challenges Posed by Global Change

Abstract

It is now clear that global changes, including demographic shifts, changing land use/land cover, climate change, and changing social values and economic conditions, are part of a complex system that cannot effectively be dealt with by piecemeal or sequential problem-solving. These changes can interact and combine in unpredictable ways, resulting in potentially surprising or abrupt changes that threaten public health and safety, the performance of water resources infrastructure, and the functioning of ecosystems. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) sees these global changes that result in local impacts and responses as the major challenge of the twenty-first century. We also recognize that close collaboration, both nationally and internationally, is the most effective way to develop practical, nationally consistent, and cost-effective measures to reduce potential vulnerabilities resulting from global changes. This paper will discuss how USACE is leading the way to solve the challenges of the twenty-first century through our collaborative approach.