U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit

City officials in Tybee Island, Georgia, recognized sea level rise as a growing problem for their community. Visualizations from a sea level rise viewer helped them raise awareness of the city's vulnerabilities and led to development of Georgia’s first sea level rise plan.

The coastal plain of South Carolina, known as the Lowcountry, was used to study the role of local conservation groups and broad stakeholder engagement in the process of adaptation planning for coastal ecosystems. This region, rich in cultural heritage and abounding with valuable ecosystem services, has seen impacts caused by urban sprawl, booming tourism, and a strained infrastructure network. Therefore, this area is not only vulnerable to climate change, but also subject to economic, political and social forces.

Beef producers shared their collective experiences with past weather, and then considered the future. This engagement strategy increased producers' value for incorporating climate into their management strategies.

On the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan, the city of St. Joseph is vulnerable to flooding from storm surges. Residents and city officials recognized the need to build resilience and worked together to enact a "no-build" ordinance to help minimize coastal erosion and retain beach access.

High school students in Kentucky became proficient in using the EPA's Stormwater Calculator. When their county planned a new library, they put their skills to work.

CDC’s Climate and Health Program helps states, cities, territories, and tribes protect human health from a changing climate. CDC provides data, tools, and technical guidance to help U.S. health agencies reduce vulnerability and increase resilience to the health effects of climate change.

Members of the Karuk Tribe in northern California maintain that the age-old tradition of prescribed burning holds the answer to climate adaptation planning in the Klamath River range.

To restore function in a degraded but historically, culturally, and ecologically important watershed on O‘ahu’s Eastern Coast, The Nature Conservancy worked closely with local partners and used an adaptive management approach to ensure successful wetland restoration.

Frequent and severe inland flooding is an increasing problem for North Carolina's transportation system. A multi-agency team is working to understand the impacts of these floods—and to consider possible solutions.

To ensure community support for nature-based reuse of dredged material in Port Fourchon, the Water Institute of the Gulf developed a robust outreach and engagement plan and worked with public and private partners to gather stakeholder input and potential project designs and sites.

Damage from Hurricane Sandy emphasized the need for East Coast coastal communities to prepare for future hazards and the impacts of climate change. Training sessions helped decision makers in these communities learn about and use data and tools to inform their planning efforts.

Residents of a rural Alaska village are studying their environment to understand and protect their food. Their research partnership hires and trains students and local residents to contribute to high-quality research...and builds the capacity of the local workforce.

Following a role play simulation on community planning for climate adaptation in Georgetown County, South Carolina, participants reported increased empathy for differing viewpoints and a high level of support for stakeholder engagement in planning processes.