Adaptation Database and Planning Tool (ADAPT)
Online tool that guides local government users through ICLEI’s “Five Milestones for Climate Adaptation” planning process.
Author: ICLEI
Date published: Ongoing
Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE)
Aimed at building a shared knowledge base for managing natural systems in the face of climate change, this website helps users by vetting and organizing information available, building a community via an interac
Author: Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE)
Date published: Ongoing
Climate Change Resource Directory
Directory of resources to help local governments plan and implement climate change adaptation strategies.
Author: Environmental Finance Center Network
Date published: 2012
Climate Ready Estuaries
The Climate Ready Estuaries (CRE) program works with coastal managers to: 1) assess climate change vulnerabilities, 2) develop and implement adaptation strategies, 3) engage and educate stakeholders, and 4) shar
Author: US EPA
Date published: Ongoing
Coastal Sensitivity to Sea Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region
Examines the effects of sea level rise on coastal communities and opportunities to prepare for those consequences, focusing on the eight coastal states from New York to North Carolina.
Author: US EPA, NOAA, USGS
Date published: 2009
Creating Resilient Water Utilities
EPA's CRWU initiative provides drinking water, wastewater and stormwater utilities with practical tools, training and technical assistance needed to increase resilience to extreme weather events.
Author: US EPA
Date published: Ongoing
Critical Facilities Flood Exposure Tool
Provides an initial assessment of a community’s critical facilities and roads that lie within the 1% annual chance flood zone established by FEMA.
Author: NOAA Coastal Services Center
Date published: Ongoing
Financing the Resilient City: A demand driven approach to development, disaster risk reduction, and climate adaptation
Provides a conceptual framework for better understanding how to integrate climate and other risk reduction measures in urban areas and systems. Calls for more locally responsive climate financing invest
Author: ICLEI
Date published: 2011
HIGHER STANDARDS: Opportunities for Enhancing Flood Resilience in the Eastern Shore of Maryland
This report was prepared to inform efforts to prepare for the impacts of sea-level rise in communities on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Author: Georgetown Climate Center
Date published: 2019
ICLEI Climate Adaptation Guidance
Website with resources for local governments undertaking adaptation, including free adaptation resources, information on climate impacts by region, and recorded webinars on key adaptation topics.
Author: ICLEI
Date published: Ongoing
ICLEI Climate Resilient Communities Program
Comprehensive, national climate adaptation program tailored to local governments.
Author: ICLEI
Date published: Ongoing
Increasing Funding and Financing Options for Sustainable Stormwater Infrastucture
This report identifies innovative funding and financing mechanisms to support communities working to upgrade their water infrastructure.
Author: Center for Neighborhood Technology
Date published: 2020
National Climate Assessment Report
Assesses the impacts of climate change on the US, including on specific sectors such as energy, water and land use. Profiles mitigation and adaptation responses.
Author: US Global Change Research Program
Date published: 2014
Understanding Virginia’s Vulnerability to Climate Change
This fact sheet describes how communities across Virginia are increasingly vulnerable to severe weather influenced by changes in the climate.
Author: Georgetown Climate Center
Date published: 2015
Adaptation Clearinghouse
An online database and networking site that serves policymakers and others who are working to help communities adapt to climate change.
Author: Georgetown Climate Center
Date published: Ongoing
Adaptation Options for Climate-Sensitive Ecosystems and Resources
Provides a preliminary review of adaptation options for climate-sensitive ecosystems and resources in the United States.
Author: US Climate Change Science Program
Date published: 2008
Adapting to Climate Change: A Planning Guide for State Coastal Managers
Helps state and territorial coastal managers develop and implement adaptation plans to reduce the impacts and consequences of climate variability.
Author: NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management
Date published: 2011
America's Climate Choices: Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change
Calls for a national adaptation strategy to support and coordinate decentralized efforts.
Author: National Research Council
Date published: 2010
City of Lewes Hazard Mitigation and Adaptation Action Plan
This Hazard Mitigation and Adaptation Action Plan from the City of Lewes, Deleware, serves as a good model of integrating hazard mitigation and climate adaptation in a local planning document.
Author: City of Lewes, DE
Date published: 2011
Climate Change Handbook for Regional Water Planning
Provides a framework for considering climate change in water management planning.
Author: EPA
Date published: 2011
Climate Change Indicators in the United States
Presents 24 indicators that show trends related to the causes and effects of climate change.
Author: US EPA
Date published: 2010
Climate Ready Estuaries Program Synthesis of Adaptation Options for Coastal Areas
Introduces key physical impacts of climate change on estuaries and reviews on-the-ground adaptation options available to coastal managers to reduce their systems' vulnerability to climate change impacts.
Author: Climate Ready Estuaries Program, US EPA
Date published: 2009
Climate Resilience Evaluation & Awareness Tool (CREAT)
An interactive software tool designed for water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities to assess the risk of climate change impacts on their assets, operations, and missions and to develop adaptation plans.
Author: US EPA
Date published: Ongoing
Climate.gov
Promotes public understanding of climate science and climate-related events through videos, stories, images, and data visualizations.
Author: NOAA
Date published: Ongoing
ClimateWizard
Enables technical and non-technical audiences to access climate change information and visualize impacts anywhere on Earth.
Author: The Nature Conservancy
Date published: Ongoing
Coastal Inundation Mapping Guidebook
Provides guidance on how to prepare coastal inundation maps, including preparing data, modeling water levels, and mapping and visualizing inundation.
Author: NOAA Coastal Services Center
Date published: 2009
Connecting CSO Abatement and Sustainability Planning
Describes the experience of communities around the country that have explicitly or implicitly connected sustainability planning with combined sewer overflow (CSO) abatement efforts.
Author: Environmental Finance Center Network
Date published: 2014
Flood Loss Avoidance Benefits of Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management
Analyzes and quantifies the potential flood loss avoidance impacts of distributed stormwater control using green infrastructure and low impact development.
Author: Atkins, US EPA
Date published: 2015
Getting Smart About Climate Change
Outlines nine strategies for successfully applying smart growth principles to climate concerns on the local and regional levels.
Author: International City/County Management Association and the Smart Growth Network
Date published: 2011
Guidebook of Financial Tools: Paying for Environmental Systems
Provides an overview of financial options available to fund local environmental programs, including climate adaptation.
Author: US EPA
Date published: 2008
Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters
This document provides guidance and information for developing watershed based plans to improve and protect water quality.
Author: United States Environmental Protection Agency
Date published: 2008
Harnessing Nature: The Ecosystem Approach to Climate-Change Preparedness
Describes the strategy of "harnessing nature" -- preserving and rebuilding green infrastructure such as floodplains, wetlands, and forests -- as an essential, viable, and cost-effective approach to climate chang
Author: Defenders of Wildlife
Date published: 2012
Integrating Resilience into Local Capital Improvement Programs: Best Practices for Maryland’s Eastern Shore Communities
This document presents best practices for embedding climate risk assessments into capital improvement planning processes at the municipal and county level, as a cost-effective means of building community resilience to climate-related threats.
Author: University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center
Date published: 2018
Iowa Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Report
Presents findings from a project in which US EPA and FEMA worked with state and local leaders in Iowa to determine how the latest science on changing weather patterns due to climate change could be integrated in
Author: US EPA
Date published: 2011
Local Climate and Energy Strategy Guide - Smart Growth: A Guide to Developing and Implementing Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs
Describes how smart growth strategies can help local governments reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve quality of life.
Author: US EPA
Date published: 2010
Mainstreaming Sea Level Rise Preparedness in Local Planning and Policy on Maryland's Eastern Shore
This report provides local government leaders and staff with data, analyses, policy options, and implementation guidance in reference to risks associated with the combination of sea level rise and coastal storm flooding to help communities form policies and practices that will reduce their risk.
Author: Eastern Shore Land Conservancy
Date published: 2019
Marshes on the Move: A Manager's Guide to Understanding and Using Model Results Depicting Potential Impacts of Sea Level Rise on Coastal Wetlands
Advanced a basic understanding of the parameters and uncertainties involved in modeling the future impacts of sea level rise on coastal wetlands.
Author: NOAA Coastal Services Center and The Nature Conservancy
Date published: 2011
NOAA Coastal Inundation Toolkit
Shares tools and information to help communities understand and address coastal flooding.
Author: NOAA
Date published: Ongoing
NOAA Green Infrastructure Tools website
Offered by NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS), this site includes green infrastructure resources organized into the categories of information, data, guidance and training.
Author: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Date published: Ongoing
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information: Delaware State Summary
This report covers the climate variations and trends, model projections of climate conditions, and past and future conditions of sea level and coastal flooding within the context of the state of Delaware.
Author: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Date published: 2016
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information: Maryland State Summary
This report covers the climate variations and trends, model projections of climate conditions, and past and future conditions of sea level and coastal flooding within the context of the state of Maryland.
Author: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Date published: 2016
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information: Pennsylvania State Summary
This report covers the climate variations and trends, model projections of climate conditions, and past and future conditions of sea level and coastal flooding within the context of the state of Pennsylvania.
Author: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Date published: 2016
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information: Virginia State Summary
This report covers the climate variations and trends, model projections of climate conditions, and past and future conditions of sea level and coastal flooding within the context of the state of Virginia.
Author: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Date published: 2016
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information: West Virginia State Summary
This report covers the climate variations and trends, model projections of climate conditions, and past and future conditions of sea level and coastal flooding within the context of the state of West Virginia.
Author: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Date published: 2016
Olympia, WA Sea Level Rise Planning Case Study
Summarizes a project of the City of Olympia's Public Works Department to respond to sea level rise as part of the City's hazard mitigation planning process.
Author: Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange
Date published: 2010
Planners and Climate Action: An Approach for Communities
Brief overview of responsibilities that local officials must face to ensure that their towns are adequately prepared for the coming challenges.
Author: Maine Policy Review
Date published: 2008
Preserving Assets in At-Risk Municipalities: Financial Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation
A large share of population location, businesses and economic activity now occurs in coastal areas.
Author: New England Environmental Finance Center
Date published: 2009
Prioritizing Local Climate Adaptation through Regional Collaboration on Maryland's Eastern Shore
Focused on the Eastern Shore region of Maryland, this white paper makes the case that preparing for and adapting to climate change impacts should be a priority for local governments.
Author: Eastern Shore Land Conservancy
Date published: 2017
Residential Coastal Construction Manual
Prepared by FEMA with assistance from other agencies, organizations, and professionals involved in coastal construction and regulation, this manual is intended to help designers and contractors identify and eval
Author: FEMA
Date published: 2011
Saving by Mitigating Issue Brief
Describes how proactive hazard mitigation planning can help local governments reduce risk; create safer communities; and invest in the community’s future safety, equity, and sustainability.
Author: Environmental Finance Center Network
Date published: 2013
Scanning the Conservation Horizon: A Guide to Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment
Provides conservationists and resource managers a way to understand the impact of climate change on species and ecosystems and supports efforts to safeguard valuable natural resources.
Author: National Wildlife Federation et al
Date published: 2011
Toward More Resilient Futures: Putting Foresight Into Practice
Builds on NOAA's Strategic Foresight Initiative (SFI) which attempted to promote broader and longer-term thinking about a changing climate and the effects on the emergency management community.
Author: FEMA
Date published: 2013
Urban Planning Tools for Climate Change Mitigation
Reviews the relationship between urban planning and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as a key component of climate change, provides characteristics of GHG decision support tools, and evaluates the strengths and li
Author: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Date published: 2009
US Climate Change Science Program Synthesis and Assessment Products
Presents multiple synthesis and assessment products (SAPs) to provide information on climate change. Designed for policy makers, resource managers, and the public.
Author: US Climate Change Science Program
Date published: Various