Online Tool for Climate Impacts Plan

Reduced Water Availability and Quality Are Problems of Changing Climate, University of Michigan Releases Online Tool to Help Cities in Great Lakes Region Plan for Climate Impacts

Reduced water availability and quality, floods and problems related to heat stress are some of the potential impacts cities face with a changing climate. A new interactive tool just released by the University of Michigan'sClimate Centerhelps cities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ontario to better anticipate and prepare for these challenges.

Housed within the Graham Sustainability Institute, the Climate Center produced the new onlineCities Impact Assessment Tool (CIAT) as part of its efforts to provide practical information and resources to support climate adaptation in North America's Great Lakes region. The Kresge Foundation funded development of the tool, which was pre-released to six regional pilot locations: Ann Arbor, Mich.; Dayton, Ohio; Flint, Mich.; Kingston, Ontario, Toledo, Ohio; and Thunder Bay, Ontario.

"I'm amazed with how much information is available through the CIAT: reliable data, best practices and even a network of peer support," saidDaniel Shipp, sustainable initiatives coordinator for the city of Kingston, Ontario, one of the first municipalities to test and evaluate the tool. "The CIAT is a practical resource for helping to develop an effective and rationalized climate adaptation strategy."

The new planning support tool, which is available at no cost to end-users, includes three core components: climate histories and projections for divisions throughout the nine regional states and provinces; an interactive climate-peer networking map; and a searchable database of more than 500 climate adaptation strategies informed by existing municipal plans. Users can search by geographic location or by issues of concern.

The tool includes content geared toward a 40-year planning horizon. It incorporates demographic and socioeconomic information, as well as climate-trend data from theGreat Lakes Integrated Sciences & Assessments, a collaborative program between the U-M Climate Center and Michigan State University that focuses on adaptation to climate change and variability in the Great Lakes region and is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"Cities cannot afford to delay in preparing for climate change," said U-M Climate Center DirectorBeth Gibbons. "Changes in average and seasonal temperature and precipitation, as well as more frequent extreme storms, require cities to act now to ensure they have resilient infrastructures and social systems. This tool puts relevant information into the hands of city-level decision makers, so they can develop peer networks and make well informed policy and infrastructure decisions."

One of the unique characteristics of the assessment tool is that it allows cities to identify and learn from ‘climate peers.' These are cities with current climate conditions that align with those projected for a given city in 2050.

"By looking at conditions in climate-peer cities, end-users can gain an idea of what they can expect to face in their own areas in the near future," said Climate Center Urban Adaptation SpecialistAshlee Grace. "Our hope is that this will encourage city practitioners to reach out to their climate peer cities to share insights and strategies."

Graham Sustainability Institute DirectorDon Scaviasaid the assessment tool is part of a continuum of solutions-focused work the Climate Center is pursuing.

Source: University of Michigan

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