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AbstractMitigation measures are required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to lessen the severity of potential impacts to the environment from a proposed project. But the real concern is seeing that these measures are actually implemented. NEPA does not have any specific guidance on how to implement mitigation measures, leaving this up to each lead agency. Mitigation measures are not being ignored. Several federal agencies are concerned about mitigation measures being implemented and have produced similar yet varying types of regulations on the implementation of mitigation measures. These range from the DOE's largely procedural guidance to the U.S. Department of the Army's detailed regulations on the monitoring and implementation of mitigation measures. This article offers guidance for implementing a strategy for mitigation plans. A mitigation plan is not an end in itself, but it should bridge the gap between paperwork and fieldwork.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Over the past 12 years, federal disaster assistance costs have totaled more than $39 billion (in fiscal year 2001 dollars)--a nearly fivefold increase over the previous 12-year period--as a result of a series of unusually large and frequent disasters and an increasing federal role in assisting communities and individuals affected by disasters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the lead agency for providing federal disaster relief, has provided the bulk of the assistance to help those in need respond to and recover from disasters. As the costs for disaster assistance have risen, FEMA has made disaster mitigation a primary goal in its efforts to reduce the long-term cost of disasters and has developed mitigation programs designed to minimize risk to property or individuals from natural or man-made hazards. FEMA's multihazard mitigation programs differ substantially in how they have sought to reduce the risks from hazards but each has features that the state emergency management community believes has been successful for mitigation. The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), FEMA's oldest multihazard mitigation programs, is a post disaster program that has provided the bulk of mitigation assistance to states and communities. State mitigation officials view the HMGP as a highly successful means for achieving mitigation because commitment to undertake mitigation efforts is greatest in the aftermath of a disaster, and the HMGP takes advantage of this "window of opportunity." FEMA has used its more recent and smaller predisaster Project Impact program to provide funding directly to communities in every state, regardless of whether the state had recently experienced a disaster. State and local officials said that Project Impact has been successful in increasing awareness of and community support for mitigation efforts due to its funding of these types of activities. The proposed new mitigation program would fundamentally change FEMA's approach by eliminating the postdisaster HMGP and by funding mitigation activities on a nationally competitive basis. The administration believes that the new program will ensure that mitigation funding remains stable from year to year and that the most cost-beneficial projects receive funding. The heightened focus on homeland security has raised several issues related to the conduct of hazard mitigation activities. Foremost among these issues is whether the increased emphasis on preventing and preparing for terrorist events will result in less focus on natural hazard mitigation concerns."

1. Urban warming and mitigation : actual status, impacts and challenges / Mat Santamouris -- 2. Understanding and reducing the anthropogenic heat emission / Nektarios Chrysoulakis and C.S.B. Grimmond -- 3. Valuing green spaces as a heat mitigation technique / Steve Kardinal Jusuf and Wong Nyuk Hien -- 4. Mitigating the urban heat with cool materials for the buildings' fabric / Afroditi Synnefa and Mat Santamouris -- 5. Cool pavements to mitigate urban heat island / Mat Santamouris -- 6. The effect of evaporative cooling techniques on reducing urban heat / Servando Alvarez Dominguez and Francisco Jose Sanchez de la Flor -- 7. Exploiting earth cooling to mitigate heat on cities' scale / Stamatis Zoras and Argiro Dimoudi -- 8. Urban climate mitigation techniques : the role of spatial planning / Maria Kaltsa -- 9. Urban climate models / Christine Georgatou and Denia Kolokotsa -- 10. Urban heat island mitigation technologies : case studies / Denia Kolokotsa.

Hazard Mitigation in Emergency Management introduces readers to mitigation, one of the four foundational phases of emergency management, and to the hazard mitigation planning process. Authors Islam and Ryan review the hazard mitigation framework in both private sector and governmental agencies, covering the regulatory and legal frameworks for mitigation, as well as risk assessment processes and strategies, and tools and techniques that can prevent, or lessen, the impact of disasters. The book specifically addresses hazards posed by human activity, including cyber threats and nuclear accidents, as well as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. Readers will learn about the framework for the mitigation process, hazard identification, risk assessment, and the tools and techniques available for mitigation. Coverage includes both GIS and HAZUS, with tutorials on these technologies, as well as case studies of best practices in the United States and around the world. The text is ideal for students, instructors, and practitioners interested in reducing, or eliminating, the effects of disasters

Hazard Mitigation in Emergency Management introduces readers to mitigation, one of the four foundational phases of emergency management, and to the hazard mitigation planning process. Authors Islam and Ryan review the hazard mitigation framework in both private sector and governmental agencies, covering the regulatory and legal frameworks for mitigation, as well as risk assessment processes and strategies, and tools and techniques that can prevent, or lessen, the impact of disasters. The book specifically addresses hazards posed by human activity, including cyber threats and nuclear accidents, as well as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. Readers will learn about the framework for the mitigation process, hazard identification, risk assessment, and the tools and techniques available for mitigation. Coverage includes both GIS and HAZUS, with tutorials on these technologies, as well as case studies of best practices in the United States and around the world. The text is ideal for students, instructors, and practitioners interested in reducing, or eliminating, the effects of disasters.