The Netherlands and the neighborhood of Meadowbrook in Seattle, Washington are increasingly being threatened by flooding as climate change is causing record-breaking floods to become the new normal. In response to this phenomenon, these communities are adopting nature-based flood adaptation measures, an approach to managing floods which works by utilizing natural flood preventions such as wetlands, coral reefs, and urban green spaces. For my research I focused on the similarities and dissimilarities of nature-based flood adaptation approaches in the Netherlands and in the Meadowbrook neighborhood. More specifically I examined the physical types of nature-based flood adaptations put into place and the policies surrounding their implementation. I found both areas employed similar physical adaptations, mainly the expansion of natural wetlands in riverine environments. As a result, both areas experienced immense success with the effectiveness of the adaptations as riverine flooding greatly decreased. As for flood policies, the results I found greatly differed. The Netherlands have pioneered a mind-set that focuses on living with the water, rather than struggling to defeat it. This has allowed the Dutch to look beyond “gray” infrastructure flood control and embrace adaptations that provide more resilience and sustainability, such as nature-based flood adaptations. Meanwhile, the adaptations within Meadowbrook are not indicative of the U.S. as a whole, as a heavy reliance on “gray” infrastructure and a denial of flooding problems prevails. These results help substantiate the efficacy of nature-based flood adaptations and points to an inadequacy within the way the U.S. approaches flooding issues.

U.S. agriculture is impacted by and a contributor towards climate change, necessitating an investigation into the policies—or lack of— that govern its operations; I have decided to explore this topic by comparing the policies on adaptive and mitigative strategies in California versus Iowa, since they are both heavily involved in the U.S. agricultural system and experience vastly different consequences of climate change. There are several questions that I am looking at to guide my research, including, are there any significant state level policies in place, and if not, why? If there are policies in place, are they sufficient in effectively dealing with climate change? Do their responses or lack thereof reflect each state’s overall attitude towards climate change? What do the findings say about the political ability to foster adaptive agriculture in the U.S.? Should there be more federal policies if there is little action from the states? To evaluate these questions in my research, I look at the similarities and differences of these two states' policies through water management, soil management, and crop diversification. Due to the differing severity and tangibility of climate change effects on these two states, as well as contrasting levels of public support and ability to pass other climate change related policies, I predict that California will have more significant policy in place than Iowa. Since Iowa is representative of the agriculturally rich Midwest and California's large agricultural sector deals with severe impacts from climate change, my findings will help us understand whether or not U.S. states have implemented sufficient agricultural policies in relation to climate change.