Network Updates

Developed by EPA and FEMA in partnership with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Association of Bay Area Governments in California, this toolkit provides a stepwise process for individual communities or coalitions of communities across a region to engage in partnership-building, planning, and other activities to build regional resilience. The goal of the toolkit is to…

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has evaluated how climate change will contribute to increasing incidence of dangerous high heat days across the U. S. This includes an analysis of the growing number of high heat days across various regions of the country, described under three climate change scenarios. The report also details the public health consequences of extreme…

From the Innovation Network for Communities, this report discusses eight strategies city governments have used to finance climate resilience projects. These strategies were found common to eight different U.S. cities blazing the trail to fund large-scale climate resilience, especially addressing sea level rise and flooding. Other cities can use this information to adopt and build…

On July 1, 2019, Montana Governor Steve Bullock signed Executive Order 8-2019, establishing the Montana Climate Solutions Council and committing the state to the U. S. Climate Alliance. The Executive Order directs the Council to work with state agencies to incorporate climate adaptation and resilience strategies into state plans and operations, and to put forth recommendations…

In June 2019, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed into law “An Act to Promote Clean Energy Jobs and to Establish the Maine Climate Council. ” The act states that the impacts of climate change have created an “emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine” and find that the law is “immediately necessary for…

The City of Seattle, Washington is establishing five new facilities that will provide clean air for its most at-risk residents during hazardous conditions brought on by wildfires. As the climate warms, Seattle is experiencing a major uptick in the number of wildfires, and consequently more days with unhealthy air quality from particulate matter. This issue…

This report was conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and Harvard University to explore the connection between climate adaptation and resilience and the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which encourages banks to invest in and address the credit needs of low- and moderate-income areas and underserved rural areas. The CRA was enacted in…

The O‘ahu Resilience Strategy, developed by the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii is focused on adapting to shocks and stresses on the island – primarily increased cost of living and climate change impacts in Honolulu. The Strategy offers 44 Actions across four focal areas or Resilience “Pillars” of Long-term Affordability (local economy), Disaster Preparedness,…

Maine Governor Janet Mills signed into law LD 563, “An Act to Help Municipalities Prepare for Sea Level Rise” in May 2019. The law amends the State’s growth management and local land-use planning requirements (at Title 30-A, Chapter 187 of the Maine Code) to address the effects of sea-level rise. It allows coastal municipalities and…

Anchorage, Alaska’s Climate Action Plan offers both climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies that support a vision for resilience and 80% less greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Climate adaptation planning is focused on emergency preparedness, watershed, urban forest and public health measures. Social equity and inclusion of indigenous communities impacts and needs are also prioritized, with…

The Southeast Sustainable Communities Fund (SSCF) supports local communities in the southeastern United States to advance climate adaptation and social equity in local government policy, plans or programs. Grants have been awarded to City and County governments and local partnerships to create socially equitable sustainable energy and/or water initiatives. The fund invested $1. 5 million in 2017…

A non-profit affordable housing developer, Jubilee Housing, is working to incorporate a “resiliency room” and increase affordable housing by renovating the historic Maycroft Apartments in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D. C.  – an area of the District that has been experiencing rapid gentrification. The project will provide affordable housing and will renovate the…

The Strong, Prosperous, And Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC) is an initiative of Enterprise Community Partners, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the Low Income Investment Fund, and the Natural Resources Defense Council that supports equitable and resilient regional development policies and investments. SPARCC supports innovative, local efforts in six major cities throughout the country…

This handbook was designed to support climate-smart meadow restoration projects in the mountain meadows of northern California. The report offers guidance on incorporating climate change impacts into a meadow vulnerability assessment, and adaptive measures into restoration planning and design. The report describes how to conduct a vulnerability assessment, and how to apply Point Blue’s climate-smart…

From the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), this comprehensive Toolkit provides a series of modules to help NAACP chapters and other advocates mediate climate adaptation planning processes and ensure that adaptation plans and policies meet local needs, with a focus on frontline communities, environmental and climate justice, and equity. The Toolkit provides…

The Wildlife Conservation Society partnered with the Climate Resilience Fund to offer this guidance for investors funding conservation projects – such as private foundations, public agencies and local governments – on how to consider climate change risks inherent in their investments. Climate change is causing dramatic and unpredictable effects on ecosystems and natural resources – creating uncertainties for…

The District of Columbia (Washington, D. C. ) released its Sustainable DC 2. 0 plan on April 23, 2019, updating its 2013 plan. The 2. 0 plan reports on the District’s progress in meeting its sustainability goals: reporting that 27% of the 2013 plan’s actions have been completed and 71% are in progress. New sustainability actions…

The Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) launched the Tribal Climate Resilience Partnership and Technical Assistance Program in 2014 to help tribes prepare for climate change.Direct funding supports federally-recognized Tribes and Alaska Native communities in climate resilience planning through competitive awards for climate training, adaptation planning, vulnerability assessments, supplemental monitoring, capacity building, and ocean…

Developed by the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) in 2019, this report summarizes the findings of a survey of 15 Regional Climate Collaboratives (RCCs) that are supporting climate change action at the regional scale in the United States. RCCs are networks that coordinate adaptation (and sometimes mitigation) work across jurisdictional boundaries in municipal regions of the U.…

OneNYC 2050 is the long-term strategic plan for the City of New York, New York – which is based on values of equity, growth, sustainability, resiliency, and diversity and inclusion. Building on prior long-term plans, OneNYC 2050 seeks to raise the bar set by its predecessors, PlaNYC (2007, 2011) and OneNYC (2015), by seeking to strengthen the democratic…

This analysis from the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) evaluates existing practices of calculating the value of resilience in Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) installed within an energy distribution system. The report examines how the value of resilience was calculated and was applied in both regulatory decision-making and non-regulatory cost-benefit analyses, and provides state…

Ready for Tomorrow discusses the necessity and strategies to build resilient critical infrastructure, in preparation for future climate impacts. Recommendations for decision makers are provided to help design, fund, and build resilience into policy and public investments in Infrastructure.

Massachusetts’ Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant program (MVP) provides support for cities and towns across the state to begin the process of planning and implementing climate change resiliency projects. The state awards communities with funding to complete vulnerability assessments and develop resiliency plans.

Minnesota’s 2019 State All-Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) includes recommended actions for climate adaptation for the first time in the state’s hazard mitigation planning process. Developed in collaboration with the Interagency Climate Adaptation Team (ICAT), the HMP includes priority adaptation needs for state government from the ICAT 2017 Report – Adapting to Climate Change in Minnesota.…

Building on the recovery and climate planning efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, New York State and City funded the Lower Manhattan Climate Resilience Study to identify adaptation and resilience strategies for Lower Manhattan – which is a critical economic, cultural, and civic hub for New York City and the region. Led by the…

Established in 1972, the California Coastal Commission has a mandate “to protect and enhance California’s coast and ocean for current and future generations” by regulating development with local government. In 2016, AB 2616 was enacted to amend the state’s Coastal Act, giving the Commission authority to specifically consider environmental justice when making coastal permit decisions.…

The Adaptation Capability Advancement (Adapt-CA) Toolkit was developed to support local government climate change adaptation initiatives through an agency self-assessment process on institutional capacity. Adapt-CA helps to identify opportunities to build capacity for adaptation integration into local government agency’s operations, leadership, technical capacity and engagement. The tool was designed for California communities, but is relevant and…

The Urban Land Institute (and Heitman – a global real estate investment firm) have investigated how climate change impacts are affecting real estate assets and investments in the market today and the future due to increased exposure. The report describes the risks posed by climate change on real estate, how real estate investors are factoring…

The City of Chicago, Illinois has joined the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) program and developed an urban Resilience Strategy. Resilient Chicago outlines 50 actions within three primary “Resilience Pillars” of Strong Neighborhoods, Robust Infrastructure, and Prepared Communities. The report also provides a number of case studies on Chicago’s existing resilient programs and initiatives,…

The Health Equity Report for the District of Columbia 2018 from DC Health takes a comprehensive look at social and structural determinants of health in Washington D.C. and presents the extent of health disparities aligning with differences in income, race, and geography. The report recognizes that climate change poses long-term risks to human health, disproportionately…

The California Heat Assessment Tool (CHAT) was developed to help state and local public health officials understand how heat vulnerability will change with increasing temperatures due to climate change. The tool helps users identify heat vulnerable areas based upon changes in high heat days under different climate scenarios and social, health and environmental vulnerability factors.…

Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) developed this set of briefs on resilience strategies for extreme climate events, primarily to support local government officials in adaptation planning. Key climate resilience strategies are discussed including the co-benefits they provide, and quantitative assessments of the costs and benefits of each strategy. Each brief includes a case…

Minneapolis 2040 is the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota’s Comprehensive Plan –  that will guide policy and decision making in the city in terms of the built, natural and economic environment for the next ten years. The document includes 14 Goals adopted by the City Council in 2017 that articulate the plan’s intent. One of the…

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Environmental Research Program includes a focal Research Area of Climate Change Adaptation. This document focuses on the climate change adaptation component of the program’s comprehensive research plan. NYSERDA’s adaptation research aims to provide “a scientific foundation for formulating effective, equitable, energy-related environmental policies and resource…

Somerville, Massachusetts’ climate change plan includes policies, programs, and strategies for climate change adaptation, mitigation, and social equity. 13 primary strategies or Action Areas were developed to make Somerville climate neutral by 2050, and more climate resilient in the near-and long-term.

From California Governor Gavin Newsom, this Executive Order directs CAL FIRE and other state agencies to recommend administrative, regulatory, and policy changes to prevent and mitigate wildfires. To support the California communities most vulnerable to wildfire impacts, the California Department of Fire and Forest Protection (CAL FIRE) will also recommend a methodology to assess what…

Georgetown Climate Center (GCC) prepared this report to help the Eastern Shore Climate Adaptation Partnership (ESCAP) identify strategies for adapting to increasing sea-level rise and flood risk in the Eastern Shore region of Maryland. This publication is a part of a series of reports assessing the sea-level rise vulnerability of communities in Maryland’s Eastern Shore,…

Munich RE’s NatCatSERVICE online tool provides interactive access to one of the world’s most comprehensive databases for analyzing natural catastrophe losses. This archive provides direct access to updated information on insured, economic, and human losses from over 40,000 natural disasters dating back to 1980. Information obtained from this tool can be used in risk assessments…

The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) has created a $5 million Resiliency Hub Grant Program (for FY 2019) to provide funding for the construction of community resiliency hubs with solar power and battery storage. The program provides funding to microgrid developers to offset some of the costs to build a resiliency hub in high-density, low- and…

The 2019 update report from the Maine Interagency Climate Adaptation Work Group (MICA), a collaboration of eight state agencies, provides an inventory and status update of climate adaptation and mitigation activities by the state and is the second update to the original 2014 Maine Prepares for Climate Change report. This report was developed for the…