Resources

The state of Iowa does not have a formal state climate action plan, however there are efforts within the state to address the impacts of climate change on public health, the environment, and communities. These efforts primarily focus on identifying climate change impacts, acquiring data and monitoring changes, and public outreach and education.

The Florida Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) Program is building awareness and capacity in county health departments to address climate-related health impacts.

The Delaware Coastal Management Program in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is working on a Sea Level Rise Initiative. Scientists and managers are working to compile information on storm histories, inundation mapping, vulnerabilities to tidal marshes and wetlands, and incorporating resilience into planning and management.

The Regional Framework for Coastal Resilience in Southern Connecticut is a joint project managed collaboratively by the Southern Connecticut Regional Council of Governments, The Nature Conservancy, and the Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Governments.

This case study was developed in 2015 as part of the of the Teaching Socio-Environmental (S-E) Synthesis with Case Studies short course at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center in Annapolis, Maryland. In this case study, all students assume the role of a concerned citizen scientist living in one of four south Florida counties.

The Resilient Quincy pilot project resulted in the creation of a municipal-wide vulnerability assessment focused on coastal neighborhoods subject to sea level rise. The project included the first-time use of the Boston Harbor Flood Risk Model in a municipal setting.

The San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) are assessing the vulnerabilities of local salt marsh ecosystems to climate change. Using conceptual models, the project leads are identifying the links between climate drivers, stressors, and ecosystem processes with the goal of developing an adaptation plan.

The New York Climate Smart Communities program is a partnership between local communities and six state agencies designed to address climate change. Communities voluntarily sign the Climate Smart Communities Pledge and receive technical support and guidance from state agencies.

The North Carolina Sea Level Rise (NC SLR) Project is a pilot study intended to improve scientific understanding of the ecological effects of sea level rise and storm surge on North Carolina coastal habitats and develop better models and tools to forecast these effects.