Eight cities will be the first to participate in Climate Resilient Communities (CRC), the nation's first comprehensive climate adaptation program for local governments, developed by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA.
The program, launched this week, establishes the first
standardized adaptation planning process for communities. The Climate Resilient Communities Program CRC provides
local governments with a wealth of resources and trainings to undertake
this process, including the advanced Adaptation and Database Planning
Tool (ADAPT). ADAPT walks users through the process of assessing
community vulnerabilities, setting resiliency goals, and developing
effective strategies that integrate into existing local planning
efforts. These wide-ranging strategies may include strengthening
infrastructure, diversifying water supplies, and planting more
vegetation to counteract the urban heat island effect.
All of ICLEI USA's 600 U.S. local government members will receive
access to CRC resources, but the following eight "Inaugural Adaptation
Communities" will receive additional technical support:
- Boston, MA
- Cambridge, MA
- Flagstaff, AZ
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Lee County, FL
- Miami-Dade County, FL
- San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)
- Tucson, AZ
Following the hottest decade on record, global average temperatures are projected to rise an estimated 4 to 11 degrees F over the next century, bringing more than scorching days to local communities.
For example, Miami-Dade County must contend with more frequent severe storms, more frequent floods from rising sea levels, and saltwater intrusion into drinking water aquifers-all occurring already. Grand Rapids faces more frequent extreme heat waves, increased air pollution, more massive snow storms that damage infrastructure and burden city services, as well as economic impacts due to changes in the Great Lakes that affect shipping and commerce.
"Local governments have a responsibility to protect people, property, and natural resources, and these leading communities wisely recognize that climate change is happening now, and that they must begin planning for impacts that will only become more severe in the coming decades," said Martin Chávez, ICLEI USA Executive Director and former three-term mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico. "For more than five years, local governments have expressed an urgent need for resources and guidance to help them prepare their communities for climate impacts, and ICLEI USA is proud to finally release these groundbreaking resources."
