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Federal Agencies
2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap (U.S. Department of Defense)
Climate change will affect the Department of Defense's ability to defend the Nation and poses immediate risks to U.S. national security. The Department is responding to climate change in two ways: adaptation, or efforts to plan for the changes that are occurring or expected to occur; and mitigation, or efforts that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap (Roadmap) focuses on the Department's climate change adaptation activities.
NOAA Digital Coast
Provides not only essential data sets, but also the tools and training coastal communities need to turn these data into useful information. This centralized, user-friendly, and cost-effective information repository was developed by the NOAA Coastal Services Center for the coastal managers, planners, decision-makers, and technical users who are charged to manage the nation's coastal and ocean resources to sustain vibrant coastal communities and economies.
Priority Agenda: Enhancing the Climate Resilience of America’s Natural Resources
Comprehensive commitment across the Federal Government to support resilience of the country's natural resources. It identifies a suite of actions the Federal Government will take to enhance the resilience of America's natural resources to the impacts of climate change and promote their ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
Resources for Local Officials and Community Members (U.S. EPA)
A one-stop directory for local government officials and community members seeking to address today's complex environmental challenges at the local level.
Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Program
In October 2010, EPA launched the Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Initiative to provide support for small to medium-sized communities in urbanized watersheds working to reduce stormwater runoff through the use of green infrastructure. The G3 Initiative supports the use of green streets to bring a community's "Green Vision" to life and provides the tools and resources needed to develop a green vision, design-build, and operate and maintain green infrastructure stormwater management practices. Green streets provide multiple community benefits by improving the water quality of local watersheds and enhancing a community's livability and economic vitality. Although originally focused on the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the G3 approach can be broadly applied to any community to manage stormwater runoff.
U.S. EPA State and Local Climate and Energy Program
The State Climate and Energy Program helps states develop policies and programs that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy costs, improve air quality and public health, and help achieve economic development goals. EPA provides states with and advises them on proven, cost–effective best practices, peer exchange opportunities, and analytical tools.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
100 Resilient Cities (100RC)
Dedicated to helping cities around the world become more resilient to the physical, social and economic challenges that are a growing part of the 21st century. Supports a view of resilience that includes not just the shocks – earthquakes, fires, floods, etc. – but also the stresses that weaken the fabric of a city on a day to day or cyclical basis. Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation.
Center for Sustainable Cities
The USC Center for Sustainable Cities conducts research, education, and community outreach to address sustainability challenges facing metropolitan regions. The Center fosters multi-disciplinary research with an emphasis on sustainability challenges of metropolitan areas. Metropolitan areas are at the core of sustainability issues; large populations and extensive, resource intensive economic activity generate environmental pollution and consume scarce natural resources. Metropolitan areas also exhibit some of our most serious social equity problems. As the world’s population continues to urbanize, metropolitan areas will increasingly be the focus of environmental protection, social justice, energy conservation, and greenhouse gas reduction policies.
Collaboratory for Adaptation to Climate Change
This website is a resource for research, education, and collaboration in the area of adaptation and climate change. t is funded by the National Science Foundation and the University of Notre Dame.
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant combines research, education and outreach to empower southern Lake Michigan communities to secure a healthy environment and economy.
Local Government Environmental Assistance Network
The Local Government Environmental Assistance Network (LGEAN) is a "first-stop shop" providing environmental management, planning, funding, and regulatory information for local government elected and appointed officials, managers and staff. LGEAN is one of EPA's Compliance Assistance Centers that helps businesses, local governments, and federal facilities understand and comply with federal environmental requirements and save money through pollution prevention techniques.
NOAA Digital Coast
Provides not only essential data sets, but also the tools and training coastal communities need to turn these data into useful information. This centralized, user-friendly, and cost-effective information repository was developed by the NOAA Coastal Services Center for the coastal managers, planners, decision-makers, and technical users who are charged to manage the nation's coastal and ocean resources to sustain vibrant coastal communities and economies.
Sustainable Cities Institute
Provides cities and sustainability professionals with resources to identify and implement solutions to advance their goals and strengthen their communities.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction's Making Cities Resilient Initiative
Addresses issues of local governance and urban risk while drawing upon previous UNISDR Campaigns on safer schools and hospitals, as well as on the sustainable urbanizations principles developed in the UN-Habitat World Urban Campaign 2009-2013.
Consortia and Collaborations
Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE)
The Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE) was founded by EcoAdapt and Island Press in July 2010, and is managed by EcoAdapt. It aims to build a shared knowledge base for managing natural and built systems in the face of rapid climate change. Just as importantly, it is intended to help build an innovative community of practice.
Global Resilience Partnership
"Spearheaded by The Rockefeller Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aims to help millions of people in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and South and Southeast Asia build stronger and more resilient futures."
Green Infrastructure Collaborative
The Green Infrastructure Collaborative consists of more than 20 organizations committed to advancing the adoption of green infrastructure as a means of supporting water quality and community development goals. This broad group of signatories includes academia, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.
ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability
An association of over 1100 local governments that represents the interests of local authorities within the United Nations and at international policy forums.
National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC)
"...dedicated to solving society’s most challenging and complex environmental problems."
Resilience.org
Resilience.org is both an information clearinghouse and a network of action-oriented groups. Our focus is on building community resilience in a world of multiple emerging challenges: the decline of cheap energy, the depletion of critical resources like water, complex environmental crises like climate change and biodiversity loss, and the social and economic issues which are linked to these
Resilience Alliance
The Resilience Alliance is a research organization comprised of scientists and practitioners from many disciplines who collaborate to explore the dynamics of social-ecological systems. The body of knowledge developed by the RA, encompasses key concepts of resilience, adaptability and transformability and provides a foundation for sustainable development policy and practice.
Resilient Communities Project (RCP) (Minnesota)
The mission of the Resilient Communities Project is to connect communities in Minnesota with the wide-ranging expertise of University of Minnesota faculty and students to address pressing local issues in ways that advance sustainability and resilience.
Smart Management for Small Water Systems Project
The Smart Management for Small Water Systems Project seeks to address major issues facing the nation’s smallest drinking water systems (those serving 10,000 or fewer people). Our team of experts works with water systems across the country, US territories, and the Navajo Nation to address these issues, which range from asset management and rate setting to water loss detection and conservation, through training and technical assistance.
Computation Institute
"...unites scientists from the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory with educators, architects and government officials to capitalize upon the growing availability of city datasets and the emergence of urban sensor networks. "
