To thrive amidst environmental and societal disruption, communities must confront emerging risks while addressing historical drivers of vulnerability such as poverty and systemic racism. AGCI works to discover, support, and inform approaches that foster resilience in communities across the United States. We collaborate with scientific, governmental, and non-governmental organizations to help decision makers understand climate risks and pursue equitable solutions.
The climate is changing, and communities need to prepare. There’s no shortage of climate change data available online — but communities need help finding and sorting through these myriad resources and understanding what online climate change information can and can’t tell them. This user’s guide to climate change portals helps people and communities effectively acquire and interpret climate change information appropriate for their locality. Whether you’re a city or county staffer, other professional, or a concerned resident, this guide will help you navigate to the climate information most appropriate and useful to you and your community.
The Water Utility Climate Alliance, an alliance of 12 of the largest water utilities in the US, has been an important partner in AGCI’s work on climate change adaptation. This includes creating the Leading Practices in Climate Adaptation report, which presents adaptation actions WUCA agencies have found effective, and providing climate and hydrology expertise to support WUCA’s technical training courses on Building Resilience to a Changing Climate.
Record drought. Deadly heat waves. Year-round wildfires. Climate change already affects Mountain West communities, with more drastic changes yet to come. The Mountain West Climate Services Partnership informs and supports efforts to build community resilience across the 11-state Mountain West region. Explore the Mountain West Climate Services Partnership website to access resources for communities seeking help or to engage with other climate service providers.
To accelerate coastal climate adaptation that supports both nature and society, decision makers need to understand the effectiveness of nature-based solutions to protect everything we value at the shore, from critical wildlife habitat to cultural and built infrastructure. To do this, AGCI piloted a sustained assessment approach to gather, synthesize, and share leading practices in nature-based coastal adaptation.
How much air conditioning will buildings need to keep up with rising temperatures? How much capacity will stormwater drains need to handle heavier downpours? How should a local government engage its community to reduce wildfire risk? Answering these questions, and many others, requires solid climate change information and guidance on how to use it. That’s what climate services are all about.
