Illustration showing people working together to care for the Earth.
How to foster climate resilience in your community
Introduction: Climate at the community leadership level
Tools to get started
Weather and climate phenomena
Considerations for coastal communities
Connect with NOAA near you
Across the world, communities of all shapes and sizes are experiencing the effects of a changing climate.
Changes in the environment impact every facet of society, including but not limited to business operations, public health, safety and transportation. Whether it’s flooding or fire, heat or hurricanes, each community faces its own set of unique climate challenges and must tailor its actions to protect lives, livelihoods, lands and waters.
If you are a municipal official or local business leader, you carry an important responsibility to keep your residents ready and resilient for whatever the future may bring, from tomorrow’s weather conditions to next season’s climate impacts.
As the nation’s leading science agency, NOAA experts are available to help you obtain the environmental data and information you need to make informed decisions. We are proud to have staff located in every state and territory, with a wealth of online resources, to help communities understand their weather, water and climate challenges. Let’s explore.
Making decisions about the future isn’t always easy, especially for those entrusted with ensuring the wellbeing of an entire community.
Scientific information about local weather, water, and climate conditions can guide the actions that community leaders take — including immediate actions that keep families safe, and longer-range projects that help facilities and economies withstand extreme weather.
Transcript
Text Transcript
0:04
Overcoming climate challenges is nothing new.
0:08
Just ask any American farmer.
0:11
So just because we’ve gotten some
0:12
rain and snow in California
0:14
does not mean we are anywhere near
0:15
the end of this crisis.
0:17
The climate system delivers surprises
0:20
as it continues to change.
0:24
Since past conditions are no longer
0:27
the best guide about what to expect,
0:29
communities and businesses are consulting
0:31
climate experts and using
0:33
scientific tools to adapt.
0:41
Building resilience can be difficult,
0:43
but Americans are rising to the occasion.
0:46
This is tough information,
0:48
and people have to make hard choices.
0:50
Thinking 30 years down the road
0:52
sometimes isn’t in people’s mindset.
0:54
It’s a hard job to ask people
0:56
to think that far ahead.
0:58
The Climate Resilience Toolkit,
1:00
a component of President Obama’s
1:02
Climate Action Plan,
1:03
offers a 5-step process to help
1:05
identify problems,
1:07
determine vulnerabilities,
1:08
investigate options,
1:10
evaluate risks and costs,
1:13
and take action.
1:16
This site features decision-makers
1:18
across the nation who are using data and tools
1:21
to reduce their risks
1:24
and protect their investments.
1:26
I’m going to use this research data
1:28
to influence my decisions on my operation
1:30
to make my bottom line better
1:31
and my livelihood for my family...
1:33
our economic viability into the future.
1:37
You’ll find dozens of powerful
1:39
decision-support tools,
1:41
including the Climate Explorer.
1:43
Whether your focus is on rainfall,
1:45
temperature and drought,
1:48
or on sea level rise and vulnerable populations,
1:52
the Climate Explorer allows you to
1:54
look at climate stressors and their
1:56
impacts at the same time.
1:58
When I was in high school,
2:00
I could walk out there several hundred yards.
2:02
Now, you have to have a boat to get out there.
2:06
The sea level rise that's occurring
2:08
that's causing that is something we had to
2:10
take into account when we built this structure.
2:14
Visit the Topics section to review
2:16
summaries condensed from authoritative sources
2:19
such as the National Climate Assessment.
2:22
Each topic offers steps that communities and
2:24
businesses can take to build resilience.
2:28
If you need help,
2:29
explore our offering of training courses,
2:32
or reach out to a climate expert near you
2:35
who understands your community and your issue.
2:38
As state climatologists,
2:39
we are going to monitor it closely.
2:41
We are going to put it in historic perspective.
2:43
We are not climate change advocates.
2:45
We are really monitors delivering
2:48
the message of what we are seeing.
2:50
Building resilience means doing business
2:53
and planning for the future
2:54
using the best available information.
2:58
The Climate Resilience Toolkit
3:00
helps you start,
3:02
or continue, becoming more resilient
3:05
and climate-smart.
Fortunately, as a community leader, you don’t have to be a scientist to incorporate environmental data into your decisions — but you do need to know who to turn to for help. That’s where NOAA and our partner agencies come in. We’re here to assist you in accessing and understanding the data and technical information needed to prepare your community for climate impacts.
For community officials engaging in climate planning for the first time, the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit is a good place to start. The toolkit includes a number of training courses and interactive mapping tools to help you understand your community’s vulnerability and exposure to extreme conditions. The toolkit also provides case studies of local officials who have been in your shoes, and have documented their best practices and lessons learned to inspire and inform others in their efforts.
NOAA's Climate.gov website is also available to help all organizations and citizens understand the impacts of climate change, including maps and data, news and features and teaching resources. A key offering on Climate.gov is the Climate Mapping for Resilience & Adaptation dashboard. Knowing which climate-related hazards could harm the things you care about is the first step in building climate resilience. This tool can help you do just that.
Every community has a unique geography, population and culture. The same is true for its weather and climate patterns, as well as vulnerability and risks as they relate to withstanding extreme swings in temperature and precipitation.
What all communities share in common, however, is climate change — which is contributing to extreme conditions,including heat, drought, flooding, severe storms and wildfire. For all of these reasons, each community must tailor its planning approach for and adapt to changing conditions that affect its people and businesses.
To assist communities, NOAA and our federal partners have centralized hubs of information that contain maps, data tools and reports to help communities monitor current conditions and future predictions. These include:
- Drought.gov: Provides actionable, reliable and shareable information about drought conditions across the U.S.. The website features the U.S. Drought Monitor, which provides a weekly snapshot and summary of dry conditions unfolding across each region, as well as planning and information guidance to help national, tribal, state and local officials plan for the future.
- Heat.gov: Serves as the U.S. government's premier source for heat and health information. Heat-related illnesses and death are largely preventable with proper planning, education and action. This hub provides information and resources that include project planning tools and funding opportunities to help leaders grapple with heat.
- Wildfires: National Interagency Fire Center: Provides data and information from NOAA and our partners to help communities prepare for, be aware of and act early if a wildfire comes your way. The center provides information for fire managers as well as officials who need to coordinate and cooperate on wildland fire management.
Climate change is having profound effects on our ocean, to include warmer waters and rising sea levels that pose risks to life and property of the 130 million Americans (or 40% of our total population) who live along the coast.
Impacts also extend to economic sectors dependent on working waterfronts, to include fishing, energy and travel and tourism industries. In addition to the weather, water, and climate threats that inland communities face, coastal officials must also account for intrusions of water that can arise from coastal storms or everyday weather.
To help coastal officials assess their risk and vulnerability, NOAA has a number of tools to help communities:
- Digital Coast: The website provides readily available coastal data and web-mapping services, as well as the tools, training and information that managers need to make these data truly useful. A number of products on the Digital Coast website have placed-based information, such as coastal county snapshots and a land cover atlas, which makes it easier to find localized data.
- U.S. Sea Level Change website: To help coastal managers and residents understand the impacts and rates of rising water, a whole-of-government web platform is available with the data, information, and visualizations needed to plan for the future. This site delivers accessible and usable science with explanations to inform decision-making, including coastal resource management and emergency operations.
- Coastal Inundation Dashboard: Provides real-time and historic coastal flooding information at a majority of coastal water level stations operated by NOAA and our partners. The product features both a map-based view where users can easily view coastal flooding information geospatially, and a more detailed station view where real-time and historical data for a specific location are highlighted.
These are some, but not all, of the resources available from NOAA and our partners. For a more comprehensive offering, visit NOAA’s Climate.gov website to explore additional resources.
As your community plans for the future, NOAA scientists and experts are available to assist you in every step of your journey to make your community weather ready and climate smart.
Beyond our online offerings on noaa.gov, we have staff across all 50 states and territories ready to assist you, to include:
- National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Offices: We have staff based in 122 locations across the country that provide local weather around the clock. They issue forecasts for their specific regions two to four times a day, as well as track and provide information on hazardous weather that might impact their area. Locate your nearest Weather Forecast Office and consider the staff a resource to you.
- Regional Coordinators: To help local partners access the whole of NOAA's science enterprise — including ocean, coastal and fisheries expertise — we welcome staff to get in touch with a NOAA Regional Coordinator. These staff are specialized in engaging and connecting community leaders with the NOAA scientists and experts who can provide regional insight to inform your action. Get in touch with us today.
For more information on climate change and community impacts, visit NOAA’s Climate.gov website and join us on X offsite link, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
Across the world, communities of all shapes and sizes are experiencing the effects of a changing climate.
Changes in the environment impact every facet of society, including but not limited to business operations, public health, safety and transportation. Whether it’s flooding or fire, heat or hurricanes, each community faces its own set of unique climate challenges and must tailor its actions to protect lives, livelihoods, lands and waters.
If you are a municipal official or local business leader, you carry an important responsibility to keep your residents ready and resilient for whatever the future may bring, from tomorrow’s weather conditions to next season’s climate impacts.
As the nation’s leading science agency, NOAA experts are available to help you obtain the environmental data and information you need to make informed decisions. We are proud to have staff located in every state and territory, with a wealth of online resources, to help communities understand their weather, water and climate challenges. Let’s explore.
Making decisions about the future isn’t always easy, especially for those entrusted with ensuring the wellbeing of an entire community.
Scientific information about local weather, water, and climate conditions can guide the actions that community leaders take — including immediate actions that keep families safe, and longer-range projects that help facilities and economies withstand extreme weather.
Transcript
Text Transcript
0:04
Overcoming climate challenges is nothing new.
0:08
Just ask any American farmer.
0:11
So just because we’ve gotten some
0:12
rain and snow in California
0:14
does not mean we are anywhere near
0:15
the end of this crisis.
0:17
The climate system delivers surprises
0:20
as it continues to change.
0:24
Since past conditions are no longer
0:27
the best guide about what to expect,
0:29
communities and businesses are consulting
0:31
climate experts and using
0:33
scientific tools to adapt.
0:41
Building resilience can be difficult,
0:43
but Americans are rising to the occasion.
0:46
This is tough information,
0:48
and people have to make hard choices.
0:50
Thinking 30 years down the road
0:52
sometimes isn’t in people’s mindset.
0:54
It’s a hard job to ask people
0:56
to think that far ahead.
0:58
The Climate Resilience Toolkit,
1:00
a component of President Obama’s
1:02
Climate Action Plan,
1:03
offers a 5-step process to help
1:05
identify problems,
1:07
determine vulnerabilities,
1:08
investigate options,
1:10
evaluate risks and costs,
1:13
and take action.
1:16
This site features decision-makers
1:18
across the nation who are using data and tools
1:21
to reduce their risks
1:24
and protect their investments.
1:26
I’m going to use this research data
1:28
to influence my decisions on my operation
1:30
to make my bottom line better
1:31
and my livelihood for my family...
1:33
our economic viability into the future.
1:37
You’ll find dozens of powerful
1:39
decision-support tools,
1:41
including the Climate Explorer.
1:43
Whether your focus is on rainfall,
1:45
temperature and drought,
1:48
or on sea level rise and vulnerable populations,
1:52
the Climate Explorer allows you to
1:54
look at climate stressors and their
1:56
impacts at the same time.
1:58
When I was in high school,
2:00
I could walk out there several hundred yards.
2:02
Now, you have to have a boat to get out there.
2:06
The sea level rise that's occurring
2:08
that's causing that is something we had to
2:10
take into account when we built this structure.
2:14
Visit the Topics section to review
2:16
summaries condensed from authoritative sources
2:19
such as the National Climate Assessment.
2:22
Each topic offers steps that communities and
2:24
businesses can take to build resilience.
2:28
If you need help,
2:29
explore our offering of training courses,
2:32
or reach out to a climate expert near you
2:35
who understands your community and your issue.
2:38
As state climatologists,
2:39
we are going to monitor it closely.
2:41
We are going to put it in historic perspective.
2:43
We are not climate change advocates.
2:45
We are really monitors delivering
2:48
the message of what we are seeing.
2:50
Building resilience means doing business
2:53
and planning for the future
2:54
using the best available information.
2:58
The Climate Resilience Toolkit
3:00
helps you start,
3:02
or continue, becoming more resilient
3:05
and climate-smart.
Fortunately, as a community leader, you don’t have to be a scientist to incorporate environmental data into your decisions — but you do need to know who to turn to for help. That’s where NOAA and our partner agencies come in. We’re here to assist you in accessing and understanding the data and technical information needed to prepare your community for climate impacts.
For community officials engaging in climate planning for the first time, the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit is a good place to start. The toolkit includes a number of training courses and interactive mapping tools to help you understand your community’s vulnerability and exposure to extreme conditions. The toolkit also provides case studies of local officials who have been in your shoes, and have documented their best practices and lessons learned to inspire and inform others in their efforts.
NOAA's Climate.gov website is also available to help all organizations and citizens understand the impacts of climate change, including maps and data, news and features and teaching resources. A key offering on Climate.gov is the Climate Mapping for Resilience & Adaptation dashboard. Knowing which climate-related hazards could harm the things you care about is the first step in building climate resilience. This tool can help you do just that.
Every community has a unique geography, population and culture. The same is true for its weather and climate patterns, as well as vulnerability and risks as they relate to withstanding extreme swings in temperature and precipitation.
What all communities share in common, however, is climate change — which is contributing to extreme conditions,including heat, drought, flooding, severe storms and wildfire. For all of these reasons, each community must tailor its planning approach for and adapt to changing conditions that affect its people and businesses.
To assist communities, NOAA and our federal partners have centralized hubs of information that contain maps, data tools and reports to help communities monitor current conditions and future predictions. These include:
- Drought.gov: Provides actionable, reliable and shareable information about drought conditions across the U.S.. The website features the U.S. Drought Monitor, which provides a weekly snapshot and summary of dry conditions unfolding across each region, as well as planning and information guidance to help national, tribal, state and local officials plan for the future.
- Heat.gov: Serves as the U.S. government's premier source for heat and health information. Heat-related illnesses and death are largely preventable with proper planning, education and action. This hub provides information and resources that include project planning tools and funding opportunities to help leaders grapple with heat.
- Wildfires: National Interagency Fire Center: Provides data and information from NOAA and our partners to help communities prepare for, be aware of and act early if a wildfire comes your way. The center provides information for fire managers as well as officials who need to coordinate and cooperate on wildland fire management.
Climate change is having profound effects on our ocean, to include warmer waters and rising sea levels that pose risks to life and property of the 130 million Americans (or 40% of our total population) who live along the coast.
Impacts also extend to economic sectors dependent on working waterfronts, to include fishing, energy and travel and tourism industries. In addition to the weather, water, and climate threats that inland communities face, coastal officials must also account for intrusions of water that can arise from coastal storms or everyday weather.
To help coastal officials assess their risk and vulnerability, NOAA has a number of tools to help communities:
- Digital Coast: The website provides readily available coastal data and web-mapping services, as well as the tools, training and information that managers need to make these data truly useful. A number of products on the Digital Coast website have placed-based information, such as coastal county snapshots and a land cover atlas, which makes it easier to find localized data.
- U.S. Sea Level Change website: To help coastal managers and residents understand the impacts and rates of rising water, a whole-of-government web platform is available with the data, information, and visualizations needed to plan for the future. This site delivers accessible and usable science with explanations to inform decision-making, including coastal resource management and emergency operations.
- Coastal Inundation Dashboard: Provides real-time and historic coastal flooding information at a majority of coastal water level stations operated by NOAA and our partners. The product features both a map-based view where users can easily view coastal flooding information geospatially, and a more detailed station view where real-time and historical data for a specific location are highlighted.
These are some, but not all, of the resources available from NOAA and our partners. For a more comprehensive offering, visit NOAA’s Climate.gov website to explore additional resources.
As your community plans for the future, NOAA scientists and experts are available to assist you in every step of your journey to make your community weather ready and climate smart.
Beyond our online offerings on noaa.gov, we have staff across all 50 states and territories ready to assist you, to include:
- National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Offices: We have staff based in 122 locations across the country that provide local weather around the clock. They issue forecasts for their specific regions two to four times a day, as well as track and provide information on hazardous weather that might impact their area. Locate your nearest Weather Forecast Office and consider the staff a resource to you.
- Regional Coordinators: To help local partners access the whole of NOAA's science enterprise — including ocean, coastal and fisheries expertise — we welcome staff to get in touch with a NOAA Regional Coordinator. These staff are specialized in engaging and connecting community leaders with the NOAA scientists and experts who can provide regional insight to inform your action. Get in touch with us today.
For more information on climate change and community impacts, visit NOAA’s Climate.gov website and join us on X offsite link, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.