Overview

The Connecticut Adaptation Resource Toolkit (CART) was developed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA (ICLEI USA) and with funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Ready Estuaries through the Long Island Sound Study, a national estuary program.

The need for CART was identified through a prior EPA-funded CT DEEP and ICLEI collaborative project that involved working with Groton, CT, on a model adaptation planning process. The project focused on identifying the needs and policy types for each level of government as well as on helping the town conduct a preliminary vulnerability assessment. The administration in Groton, CT, has formally included adaptation criteria in the review and funding of capital improvements and has recently commenced development of a GIS /Microsoft Access database as the basis for its infrastructure vulnerability assessment efforts.

Nearly every municipal department has a role to play in climate change adaptation planning. In CART, resources have been separated by professional discipline. For each professional area there are resources that help you:

• Understand your profession's role in the adaptation planning process;
• Learn how climate change impacts your area of focus; and
• Discover actions that can improve your community's resilience to climate change.

Areas of Focus:

Agriculture - Contains adaptation resources for local shellfish or agriculture commissioners and food policy staff.

Built Environment and Infrastructure - Contains adaptation resources for those who manage the built environment such as land use managers, building officials, home and commercial property managers, and those who manage local infrastructure, such as engineers, public works directors, transportation system managers, energy supply managers, and communication network operators.

Education - Contains adaptation resources for those teaching coursework at the elementary, middle, high school, and higher education levels.

Natural Resources and Ecological Habitats - Contains adaptation resources for those working in natural resource and habitat management, such as environment departments staff, coastal zone managers, park managers, conservation commissioner members, and land trust members.

Public Health and Safety - Contains adaptation resources for public health and safety professionals. This could include, but is not limited to, public health officials, hospital administrators, and emergency response personnel.

Adaptation Planning - Contains the basic steps of adaptation planning. This could include, but not limited to, planners, elected officials, volunteer energy and climate committee members, and others interested in learning more about the general adaptation planning process.

Audience

CART was developed to help local government staff, committee members and active participants in Connecticut have instant access to climate change adaptation resources thereby enabling them to easily and meaningfully benefit their communities.