Chart: Environmental Protection Agency

Kodiak Island, Alaska, is the most climate-resilient place in the entire nation, according to an EPA study that assesses the climate resilience of all 3,135 counties. The least resilient counties were in the Southeast, Appalachia, and western Texas. The Climate Resilience Screening Index analyzes resilience as a combination of risk, governance, society, built environment, and the natural environment, based on 117 datasets. Metrics included age, education, homelessness, and health; the number of participants in the National Flood Insurance Program; and whether neighbors are inclined to help one another, or to retreat into isolated enclaves. They also measured the urban fabric: the number of vacant structures, communication networks, roads, railways, and airports. Some of the communities on course to suffer most are the ones already struggling due to poverty, inequality, and other challenges. ( Pacific Standard)

	Photo: Lt. Zachary West/Army National Guard via Getty Images

The first high-resolution, national-level assessment of flood risk in the US reveals that 2.6 to 3.1 times more people are exposed to serious flood risks than estimated by FEMA. This new assessment combines datasets on weather, water, population, and building density from the US Geological Survey, Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, and elsewhere to create a layered picture of US flood risk that is "significantly higher in quality and spatial coverage" than FEMA maps. The new analysis shows that 40.8 million are exposed to a 100-year flood, compared to FEMA's estimate of 13 million. California has less land at risk but $763 billion in assets at risk. By 2100, more than 16 percent of Americans - 75 million people - and $10 trillion in assets will be in flood plains. And that's not including climate impacts on extreme weather. ( Vox)

Unlike traditional buildings, amphibious structures are not static; they respond to floods like ships to a rising tide, floating on the water's surface. Amphibiation reflects a growing consensus that, at a time of climatic volatility, people can't simply fight against water; they have to learn to live with it. In 2006, a nonprofit called the Buoyant Foundation Project in Louisiana began working with a group of architecture and engineering students to devise a method for retrofitting local homes with amphibious foundations. They developed a simple design that could be installed by two people without heavy equipment for $10 to 40 per square foot - cheaper and more resilient than permanent elevation retrofits. ( New Yorker)

More than 2,500 sites that handle toxic chemicals are located in flood-prone areas in every state, risking toxic spills like those that occurred in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. A New York Times analysis of federal floodplain and industrial data found about 1,400 toxic chemical sites in areas with the highest flood risk, and an additional 1,100 sites in areas of moderate risk. Other industrial complexes lie just outside FEMA-defined flood-risk zones, obscuring their vulnerability as flood risks increase. Federal law does not explicitly require sites in floodplains that handle toxic chemicals to take extra precautions against flooding. Nor do most states or local governments have such requirements. ( NYTimes )

Photo: Chelsea Self/Glenwood Springs Post Independent/AP

Worsening water scarcity, combined with new research, is spurring states, counties, districts and power companies across the thirsty West to use "cloud seeding" to increase snowfall. Colorado's cloud seeding program, which costs $1 million a year, is paid for not just by the state, ski resorts and local water users but also by water districts as far away as Los Angeles that want to increase snowmelt into the Colorado River. Major urban water districts in Arizona, California and Nevada have funded cloud seeding in the Rocky Mountains for more than 10 years and are now close to signing an agreement to split the cost of nine more years. Studies suggest cloud seeding can increase snowfall by 5 to 15 percent each year. ( Link)

For the 7th time in the last 8 months, the amount of water saved by urban Californians has declined, according to the State Water Resources Control Board. In other words, lawn sprinklers are back on, showers are getting longer, and overall, California's water use is back to where it was before the drought. Overall, urban residents reduced the amount of water they use by just .8 percent in January - a far cry from the 20.7 percent reduction in January 2017 - compared to the baseline of January 2013. The biggest water use increase was in Southern California, which exceeded 2013 levels of usage, and where rainfall is only a quarter of normal. ( Link)

	Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Climate change could decrease the yield of major crops in California by up to 40 percent by 2050.The study, led by UC Merced and Davis researchers, examined future changes to temperature, snowpack, drought, and flooding. Fruit crops were severely impacted, with yields dropping by 40 percent in some areas under a high-emissions scenario. By 2050, the Central Valley will not be suitable for species like apples, cherries, and pears under any emissions scenarios. ( Link)

Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Spring is arriving earlier the further north you go, according to a new UC Davis study. Evaluating temperature records and phenological studies on the timings of bird migrations, flowerings, and other markers of spring, the study found that spring is now arriving 16 days earlier in the Arctic, compared to about 1 day earlier in Los Angeles. The northward increase in the rate of springtime advance is roughly three times greater than previously thought. These findings underline the dramatic pace of climate change in the Arctic, where temperatures are rising twice as fast the global average and which is experiencing the warmest winter on record. ( Guardian)

Citrus Heights is piloting a new fast, affordable, and flexible ride-sharing system similar to Uber Pool or Lyft Line. A joint venture of Regional Transit, Citrus Heights, and TransLoc, SmaRT Ride provides door-to-door service on demand. City leaders say it will be on par with Lyft and Uber, but at a much lower cost, ranging from $1.35 to $2.75 per trip. Unlike Lyft, rides can be requested via landlines. If the pilot is successful, phase two will be in Orangevale and Folsom. ( Link)

PREPdata, a new open-source platform, helps adaptation planners analyze vulnerability, prepare for future disasters and build resilience. Users around the world can explore climate, physical and socioeconomic datasets curated from highly credible sources like NASA, ESA and more; map them to visualize a specific region's vulnerability; track indicators on dashboards; and share their stories with adaptation professionals around the world. The platform's wide-ranging datasets include extreme weather, precipitation, drought and flood risks, social vulnerability, coastal energy facilities, global urban heat island effect, dams, global cropland extent and more. ( Link)

The Department of Finance and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) have released the   2018 Annual Report to the Legislature on California Climate Investments using Cap-and-Trade auction proceeds. The report provides estimates of expected GHG emissions reductions; key statistics on benefits to disadvantaged and low-income communities and households; demand for funding; and leveraged funds. CARB also released an updated interactive map including each implemented project, which can be filtered by program, county, or legislative district. ( Link)

The Statewide Energy Efficiency Forum (June 20-21, Sacramento) is now accepting session and poster proposals, providing an opportunity to showcase best practices, local projects, and innovative strategies for energy efficiency and sustainability. The forum encourages creative and interactive sessions that engage a broad spectrum of energy and sustainability practitioners, have a strong implementation focus, and demonstrate replicability. ( Link)

Please join this Department of Energy Better Buildings Network peer exchange call to discuss strategies targeted at increasing both energy efficiency and resilience. ( Webinar)

The Cleaner Air Partnership will provide an update on newly expanded efforts for air quality advocacy at both the state and the federal level, especially to ensure that our region wins a proportionate share of cap and trade funds for air quality-related work. Please RSVP. ( Register)

One of the biggest challenges to growing any community's urban forest is building a team of foresters, planners, policymakers, and the public. The Vibrant Cities Lab, launched by the U.S. Forest Service, American Forests and the National Association of Regional Councils, is an innovative, multi-faceted resource that can help build, inform and energize that team. This webinar will explore the resources available to help policymakers and municipal executives make decisions about the future of their community's forests, and to learn how urban forestry can help drive progress toward smart growth and sustainability goals. ( Register)

This webinar will highlight an innovative approach to modelling stormwater pollution load reductions to demonstrate cost effective environmental benefits from implementing model stormwater standards in New Hampshire communities. The webinar will showcase modeling approaches, potential pollutant load reductions expected, and share model ordinance language which can be replicated in other communities to achieve water quality results. ( Register)

The Resilient Coastlines Project of Greater San Diego will share lessons learned about the benefits and challenges of trigger policies being developing in San Diego communities and insight from their legal risk analysis. ( Link)

Please join the Governor's Office of Planning and Research for the first 2018 Quarterly meeting of the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program's (ICARP) Technical Advisory Council (TAC). While all TAC meetings are open to public participation, this meeting will feature a half-day public workshop for practitioners and stakeholders to engage with the Council's Adaptation Vision Framework effort. Building on the Council's work from 2017, the workshop will focus on identifying the types of public sector actions that are needed to advance state and local adaptation and resiliency efforts, with special emphasis on identifying how to effectively institutionalize adaptation into existing practices and agency objectives. ( Register)

The Tribal Water Summit is an event designed to address a wide array of issues, regarding concerns from the upper watershed to the downstream beneficiaries, between the State of California agencies and California Native American Tribes. The purpose of this Summit is to continue the collaboration between Tribes and the State by including Tribal perspectives and contributions into the California Water Plan Update. ( Register)

Join the Local Government Sustainable Energy Coalition and SMUD for an information and networking forum on energy storage for local government energy professionals. Speakers will provide insights on California's Energy Storage Roadmap, the state of the technology, emerging policy, decision-making tools for implementation and first-hand project experience. ( Link)