FORUM ON CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION/RESILIENCY HAPPENING THURSDAY NIGHT – KQEN News Radio

Forum on Climate Action and Community Resilience to Address Sustainable Development Goals

Event Overview

A forum titled “Meeting Today’s Climate Challenges, Community Resilience and Sustainability” will be convened by the Douglas County Global Warming Coalition. The event is scheduled to address critical issues of climate change adaptation and resilience, with a specific focus on wildfires, directly aligning with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• Date: Thursday, October 30, 2025
• Time: 6:30 p.m.
• Location: Ford Room, Roseburg Public Library, Northeast Diamond Lake Boulevard
• Duration: Approximately 90 minutes

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The forum’s agenda is intrinsically linked to the global framework for sustainable development. The key areas of focus contribute to the following SDGs:

1. SDG 13: Climate Action: The event’s primary objective is to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts by educating the community on adaptation and resiliency strategies, particularly concerning the increasing threat of wildfires.
2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: By focusing on community resilience, the forum aims to make human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. It addresses how to safeguard the community against climate-related disasters.
3. SDG 15: Life on Land: The specific emphasis on wildfires directly relates to protecting, restoring, and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and halting biodiversity loss.
4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The event exemplifies a multi-stakeholder partnership, bringing together academic, governmental, and social service sectors to strengthen the means of implementation for sustainable development.

Scheduled Presenters and Expertise

The panel of experts represents a collaborative approach essential for achieving the SDGs, combining scientific research, emergency management, and social support systems.

• Dr. Chris Adlam: As the Southwest Regional Fire Specialist with the Oregon State University Extension Service, his expertise will inform strategies related to SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).
• Emily Ring: As the Douglas County Emergency Manager, her presentation will focus on practical measures for community preparedness and response, contributing to SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
• Terra Ralph: As the Social Services Emergency Liaison for the Oregon Department of Human Services, her role highlights the human dimension of climate disasters, addressing components of SDG 11 and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

Forum Objectives and Community Engagement

The forum is designed to disseminate critical information and foster a proactive community dialogue. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentations, providing an opportunity for public engagement and strengthening community capacity to address climate challenges. This interactive format supports the inclusive principles of the Sustainable Development Goals by ensuring all stakeholders have a voice in building a resilient future.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The article directly addresses this goal through its focus on a forum titled “Meeting Today’s Climate Challenges, Community Resilience and Sustainability.” The event’s explicit purpose is to discuss “climate change adaptation and resiliency,” which are central components of SDG 13, aimed at taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The theme of “Community Resilience and Sustainability” and the involvement of a “Douglas County Emergency Manager” connect directly to making communities and human settlements resilient and safe. The discussion on adapting to wildfires, a significant threat to communities, aligns with the goal of protecting lives and infrastructure from natural disasters.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  The specific emphasis on “wildfires” and the inclusion of a “Southwest Regional Fire Specialist” from Oregon State University Extension Service relate to the protection and sustainable management of terrestrial ecosystems. Wildfires are a major driver of forest degradation and biodiversity loss, issues that SDG 15 aims to address.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.

     The forum’s focus on “climate change adaptation and resiliency” with an emphasis on “wildfires” is a direct effort to build adaptive capacity to a specific climate-related hazard affecting the Douglas County community.

   • Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.

     The event itself, a public forum presented by the Douglas County Global Warming Coalition, is an initiative aimed at educating the community and raising awareness about climate challenges, thereby improving human and institutional capacity to respond.

2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters… with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.

     The involvement of a “Douglas County Emergency Manager” and an “Oregon Department of Human Services, Social Services Emergency Liaison” indicates a focus on managing the impacts of disasters like wildfires on the community, which is central to this target.

   • Target 11.b: By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards… adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters…

     The forum represents a step in developing community-level plans and strategies for climate adaptation and disaster resilience, aligning with the objective of this target.

3. SDG 15: Life on Land

   • Target 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.

     The presence of a “Regional Fire Specialist” implies a discussion on managing forests to mitigate wildfire risk, which is a key component of sustainable forest management.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article does not mention any explicit quantitative indicators. However, it implies the importance of certain actions and capacities that can be measured as indicators of progress.

• Implied Indicator for Target 13.3: The number of awareness-raising activities or educational forums on climate change adaptation held for the public. The article describes one such event, which itself serves as a qualitative indicator of progress in community education.
• Implied Indicator for Target 11.b: The existence of local strategies for disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation. The forum, which brings together experts in emergency management, social services, and fire science, is a foundational step in developing or strengthening such strategies. The event itself can be seen as an indicator of a community’s active engagement in planning for resilience.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: kqennewsradio.com