August 2023

Phase III Updates

New reports from the Resilient Connecticut Phase III projects have been released. Explore the town links below to learn more about the projects.

Fair Haven

This project focuses on developing adaptation strategies to mitigate current and future climate induced flooding impacts to community assets and transportation corridors, as well as developing strategies to help mitigate the impacts of extreme heat for vulnerable community residents.

Fairfield

This project focuses on adapting to current and future climate induced flooding impacts to downtown Fairfield transportation routes where flood risk from storm surge and tidal flooding, extreme precipitation, and riverine flooding occurring simultaneously would present significant public safety challenges to residents, hinder the use of transit, and impair numerous small businesses. 

South Norwalk

This project focuses on mitigating the impacts of current and future climate induced flooding that impede access to lifelines and evauation routes from key neighborhoods and community assets as well as to help mitigate the impacts of extreme heat for the community.

Danbury

In addition to critical roadways and egress routes impacted by flooding, this project will assess future conditions and adaptation alternatives to mitigate flood and heat risks for critical facilities along Main Street, existing affordable housing complexes such as Danbury Commons, and private properties and future development.

An Extreme Heat Toolkit for Connecticut Municipalities

As extreme heat events become more frequent, they increasingly pose a serious threat to the health of Connecticut residents. By 2050, Connecticut can expect: The number of tropical nights (annual number of days when the daily minimum is above 68°F) to rise from 10 to 40 per year, the number of Heat Wave Days (6 or more consecutive days with daily maximum temperature above the 90th percentile) to rise from 4 to 48 per year, the number of Summer Days (annual number of days when the daily maximum temperature is above 77°F) to rise from 81 to 118, and the number of days above 90°F (annual number of days with maximum temperatures above the threshold value) to rise from 5 to 25 per year. This Toolkit aims to provide resources that help Connecticut’s municipal leaders fill gaps in local extreme heat planning and to provide extreme heat safety tips for Connecticut’s residents. Click HERE to access the full Toolkit.

Resilient CT Updated Climate Change Vulnerability Index

Areas that are more vulnerable to climate change are ones where people, infrastructure, and/or ecological resources are more likely to experience harm as temperatures rise, floods worsen, and high winds increase. Vulnerability is a complex concept and encompasses a variety of elements including physical exposure, sensitivity or susceptibility to harm, and lack of capacity to cope and adapt. Understanding vulnerability helps us to make decisions about resource allocation, policy development, and project prioritization, siting, and design.

The CCVI combines built, social, and ecological factors to identify areas that are vulnerable to flooding and heat related impacts of climate change. These mapping tools can be used to view vulnerability at both a regional scale and at specific sites to see how factors are contributing. Click HERE to access the updated statewide CCVI viewers.

NESSBE Conference: Call for Presentations

Submission Deadline: August 28, 2023

The Northeast Summit for a Sustainable Built Environment is accepting submissions for presentations. The Summit is on November, 17, 2023 at Yale University in New Haven. This biennial regional summit brings together building professionals, owners, academics, policymakers, advocates, and students for an inclusive conversation on sustainability in the built environment.

This year’s theme is "Justice of Place: Energy and Environmental Justice in the Built Environment." Frontline communities are now experiencing the greatest effects of Climate Change. These communities face both an increased energy cost burden and health burden due to environmental pollution and housing conditions. The intention of this summit is to explore the means and solutions for meeting this challenge in the built environment, lifting up our most vulnerable communities, while improving the quality of life for all CT residents.

Grants

NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge

Letter of Intent Deadline: August 21, 2023

Full Application Deadline: February 13, 2024

Approximately $575 million is available for projects that build the resilience of coastal communities to extreme weather (e.g., hurricanes and storm surge) and other impacts of climate change, including sea level rise and drought. Funding was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, a historic, federal government-wide investment that is advancing NOAA’s efforts to build Climate-Ready Coasts.This page is focused on the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, which is administered by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management.The focus of this grant program is on collaborative approaches to achieving resilience in coastal regions. Proposed projects should address risk reduction, regional collaboration, and equity, and build enduring capacity for adaptation. Click HERE for a recorded webinar for more information.

CT DEEP: Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition (OSWA) Grant Program

Application Deadline: October 2, 2023

The Department is now accepting applications for the 26th competitive grant round of the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program (OSWA). The Department is also accepting applications from targeted investment communities and distressed municipalities to the the Urban Green and Community Garden Program. The Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition (OSWA) Grant Program provides financial assistance to municipalities and nonprofit land conservation organizations to acquire land for open space, and to water companies to acquire land to be classified as Class I or Class II water supply property. Awards are granted to projects that offer the highest conservation and recreational value and that leverage the greatest percentage of private and municipal funding. The Department also accepts applications from distressed municipalities under 

Resources

Storm Assistance for Emergency Resilience (SAFER)

SAFER (Storm Assistance for Emergency Resilience) is a smartphone app designed by Dr. Carolyn A. Lin, a Professor of Communication at the University of Connecticut. The goal of distributing this smartphone app is to invite coastal residents in the State of Connecticut to utilize the app to help keep themselves prepared when an imminent severe storm threatens their personal and property safety.

In South Norwalk, Where Residents Say it Floods Every Full Moon, Experts Create Resiliency Plan

The Register Citizen - July 3 , 2023

As rising sea levels and flooding threaten access to many neighborhoods in South Norwalk, experts suggest ways to mitigate effects from climate change. Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation has identified South Norwalk as one of seven flood vulnerable communities in a climate adaptation study to understand and plan for future flooding risks. 

Extreme 100-year Floods Could Happen Every Few Decades in CT, Report Shows

CT Insider - July 10, 2023

Flooding in Connecticut is likely to get worse due to climate change, a newly updated model demonstrates. Extreme 100-year floods predicted by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration are estimated to be more frequent. In some cases, a 100-year flood may occur as often as once a decade, according to a report released late June. 

Deluge of Rain Prompts CT Communities to Assess Climate Resiliency

CT Public Radio - July 18, 2023

Local experts are brainstorming with Connecticut municipalities about possible resilience measures against climate change’s impact on future storms, as more rain is expected through this weekend. Rain showers have slammed the state and the Northeast for over a week, flooding rivers, farms, roads, and buildings. Several more inches of rain hit Vermont, prompting emergency federal aid and causing additional flooding.

Connecticut Mapping Tool Aims to Bring Visibility to Environmental Justice Communities

Energy News Network - July 18, 2023

Connecticut is about to adopt a new environmental justice mapping tool designed to infuse equity into policy-making and empower residents of overburdened communities in their efforts to prevent exposure to additional hazards and improve overall quality of life. The mapping tool incorporates more than 50 different data sets to show which census tracts in the state are most at risk from pollution exposure, socioeconomic impacts and health disparities. “It will show which areas are highly likely to be impacted for any kind of environmental justice,” said Yaprak Onat, assistant director of research at the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation.

This New Map Shows Which CT Communities Are Hardest Hit by Environmental Hazards

CT Public Radio - July 26, 2023

A new interactive map from the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) shows areas in the state that are vulnerable to environmental hazards. Researchers made the map in English and Spanish as a way to show where pollution is coming from – and how it’s impacting nearby people. The launch coincides with a newly-strengthened state environmental justice law, as advocates look for new ways to raise the profile of historically marginalized communities overburdened by pollution.The map features indicators like health sensitivities, a community's wealth, and its proximity to environmental hazards such as landfills, said Yaprak Onat, co-project manager and associate director of research at CIRCA.

Heat Records Are Broken Around the Globe as Earth Warms, Fast

New York Times - July 6, 2023

From north to south, temperatures are surging as greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and combine with effects from El Niño. Already, the surge has been striking. The planet just experienced its warmest June ever recorded, researchers said, with deadly heat waves scorching Texas, Mexico and India. 

U.S. Carbon Emissions Fall for First Time in Biden Era

E&E News - July 7, 2023

Global carbon dioxide emissions were roughly flat through the first five months of the year, with rising greenhouse gas production from China and India offsetting deep declines in emissions from the United States and Europe. The findings from Carbon Monitor, an academic emissions tracker, are consistent with experts’ view that the world is entering a period of plateauing emissions. They think a rise in clean energy generation will be offset by growth in total global energy demand.

Some July Heat: ‘Virtually Impossible’ Without Climate Change, Analysis Finds

New York Times - July 25, 2023

Some of the extreme temperatures recorded in the Southwestern United States, southern Europe and northern Mexico at the beginning of the month would have been “virtually impossible” without the influence of human-caused climate change, according to research made public. During the first half of July hundreds of millions of people in North America, Europe and Asia sweltered under intense heat waves. A heat wave in China was made 50 times as likely by climate change, the researchers said.

This CDC Data Shows Where Rates of Heat-Related Illness Are Highest

NPR - July 26, 2023

The U.S. is seeing high levels of heat-related illness this year, according to data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided to NPR. The agency has been collecting national data on heat-related illness from emergency departments since 2018 and currently releases it daily through its Heat & Health Tracker.The data serves as an early-warning system for communities suffering from the heat. "It's providing real-time health information," says Claudia Brown, a health scientist with the CDC's Climate and Health Program.