News – Climate Ready Communities

A full-day workshop!? No one has that kind of time!

Written on August 16, 2023. Posted in News.

We hear you. Everyone is busy, especially local governments who are still working through the lingering effects of a global pandemic and increasingly limited resources. And of course the pace and scale of climate change continues to accelerate, creating extra pressure for action. So why do we ask local leaders to commit a full day for each of two workshops in our Whole Community Resilience framework?

There are 4 important reasons we recommend your workshops be 6-7 hours long each (and yes, that includes lunch!):

Climate change is complex
Deciding what to do about climate change is also complex
Identifying vulnerabilities is scary (but being together helps!)
The workshop is just the beginning of the work

Online tools for local climate projections

Written on June 20, 2023. Posted in News.

Looking for insights on the climate change that’s expected in your community?

It can be confusing with so many online tools available for viewing projections on your local climate change. Our team selected the following three online tools as a good starting point for most communities. They each provide the ability to create a quick snapshot or the option to to develop a summary or in-depth report of several variables that are relevant to your location.

Pros & Cons: Climate Explorer and CMRA have prettier graphics and interface, but output variables are limited. The two tools can be used together for a more comprehensive approach. Climate Toolbox, on the other hand, is more customizable and has a more comprehensive suite of output variables yet is harder to navigate by the user.

Indiana communities building climate resilience

Written on May 24, 2023. Posted in News.

Geos Institute is partnering with the Environmental Resilience Institute to help 8 local governments in Indiana build climate resilience through ERI’s 2023 Resilience Cohort.

Over the course of nine months, we will help participating communities create climate resilience plans using our Practical Guide to Building Climate Resilience and Climate Ready Communities resources.

ERI’s 2023 Resilience Cohort participants include Monroe County and the cities of Bloomington, Carmel, Columbus, Gary, New Albany, South Bend, and Terre Haute.

Climate Action in the States – Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas

Written on February 22, 2023. Posted in News.

In this post of examining climate action across the United States, we are focusing on Kentucky, Missouri, and Kansas. Three states in the middle of the county, each working to address the climate crisis in their own ways.

In Kentucky the focus is on the economy and creating resilient jobs. While in Missouri much of the work on climate is in academia, lead by professors and students. And with its great wind energy potential, Kansas is leading the country on renewable power generation.

Climate Action Across the Country – Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico

Written on January 20, 2023. Posted in News.

This month we are looking at three south-central states: Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Each of these states is moving forward with climate action in their own way.

Texas is interesting from a climate perspective because much of its revenue is generated from fossil fuels industries while it also experiences extreme climate-related disasters: hurricanes, wildfires, sea level rise, extreme winter weather, etc. Despite polarizing public views on climate change, there is a lot of climate action by federal agencies, academia, local governments and committed nonprofits.
Oklahoma is a state where it is difficult to talk about “climate change” but it is fine to say “sustainability” and to talk about wind power. The state gets 35% of its energy generation from wind, which also brings jobs and economic growth to the state. A few cities and the state university system are also moving forward with climate action.
New Mexico shows bipartisan support of businesses and community leaders to make a transition away from coal and toward a clean energy economy. And re-election of Governor Grisham in 2022 will allow her climate program, launched by Executive Order in 2019, to continue to develop.

Climate Action Across the Country – Delaware, Connecticut, and South Carolina

Written on September 21, 2022. Posted in News.

In this post we are focusing on the eastern seaboard – specifically the states of Delaware, Connecticut, and South Carolina. While these three states all share the threat of sea level rise, their actions highlight the diversity of approaches to climate change.

Delaware is actively working to address climate change. A Climate Action Plan, completed in November 2021, includes all state agencies’ operations and offers support, training, and improved communication with local communities. As part of this, the state partnered with the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO) to provide professional development level certifications in climate competency. This Climate Leadership Academy is available to state and local government leaders, infrastructure executives, and business leaders in 2022.
Connecticut’s Governor Lamont and various state agencies are deeply engaged in climate work and have been for many years. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) created a portal that documents all climate laws, executive orders, and initiatives in the state since 2004, demonstrating the state’s long and committed efforts to both mitigate and adapt to climate impacts.
At the state level, South Carolina has not done much to address climate change beyond federally-mandated hazard mitigation planning. Despite the lack of state support and limited authority of local governments, there are small moves towards climate action.

Climate Action in the States – Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi

Written on July 22, 2022. Posted in News.

The theme this month is Mississippi River states. These states are good examples of why each state needs the ability to direct its own climate work. Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi share borders but have very different circumstances that affect how climate issues are seen and addressed by both residents and policy makers.

Arkansas is moving forward with building an electric vehicle charging network, fostering a solar power industry, while also requiring the coal fired power plants to be evaluated every three years. There are municipal and university climate programs, and a business association for non-fossil fuel energy. Despite a lack of formal state level support, there are people on the ground working to move climate action forward.
Tennessee has a strong cohort of people taking action on mitigation, including developing a statewide electric vehicle charging network, solar propagation, and wind power development. Universities in the state are teaching about sustainability and climate mitigation. Unfortunately, there is not much work yet on climate adaptation.
Mississippi focuses on issues of climate resilience like sea level rise, storm impacts on the coast, oil spill recovery, and impacts to inhabitants of coastal areas. Despite no legislative interest in climate action, there is a very strong cohort comprised of MS State University, the MS-AL Sea Grant, Cooperative Extension, and the NOAA Gulf of Mexico Regional Collaboration. There is also growing momentum for solar power and electric vehicle charging across the state.

Climate Action Across the Country: Nevada, Utah, Colorado

Written on May 31, 2022. Posted in News.

In this update we are focusing on three western states: Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. These three states are all taking action on climate change and working hard to protect their communities.

In one of his first actions as Nevada’s Governor, Steve Sisolak launched a strong climate agenda with a 2019 Executive Order. The state has been busy working to address climate change ever since.
Leaders and voters in Utah are supporting climate action, even if it’s not always identified as such in the legislation. Both the University of Utah and Utah State University Cooperative Extension have very strong climate programs. There is also a dedicated network of nonprofits across the state working on climate issues.
With strong economic interests in oil, gas, and coal industries, Colorado is an interesting state for climate action. Since 2015 government leaders, universities, nonprofits, and local communities have all worked to move the needle on climate change.

Climate Action Across the Country – Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island

Written on February 25, 2022. Posted in News.

This month we are looking at the eastern seaboard. Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island provide examples of effective climate action, including both mitigation and adaptation, and social equity. These states are also members of the Transportation & Climate Initiative, launched in 2010, along with 10 other eastern states.

Climate Action Across the Country – North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota

Written on January 21, 2022. Posted in News.

To kick off the New Year in our series looking at climate action at the state level, we are looking at 3 states that are neighbors, share many of the same climate issues and yet have different approaches to climate work: North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota