The Resilience Roundup highlights announcements, events, and funding opportunities along with links to the previous month's local, state, and national resilience news.
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Resilient Connecticut - Project Updates
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As a quick reminder, the state of Connecticut won a National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC) grant due to Superstorm Sandy’s impacts in Fairfield and New Haven Counties. Several projects in Connecticut were awarded funds through the Connecticut Department of Housing including the
Resilient Connecticut
project.
Resilient Connecticut is a regional climate vulnerability and resiliency planning effort consisting of three phases:
Phase 1: Draft Planning Framework & Flood Risk Assessment
Phase 2: Resilience Planning & Data Portal/Map Service
Phase 3: Synthesize, Summarize, and Develop Implementation Plans
With the successful first annual
Resilient Connecticut Summit
in November 2019 and the upcoming release of an RFQ (see below), the project is transitioning into Phase 2. This phase will focus on revising the planning and vulnerability mapping process started in Phase 1 and identifying potential resiliency pilot projects across the two counties.
Throughout the project, we will be partnering with stakeholders, including the four Regional Councils of Governments (West COG, Naugatuck Valley COG, Metro COG, and South Central COG) that assist communities in Fairfield and New Haven counties.
Throughout 2020, we’ll be sharing regular updates on the project and ways for you to be involved so stay tuned!
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CIRCA, in support of the Resilient Connecticut project, will soon release a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for proposals from interdisciplinary planning, outreach, design, architecture, and engineering teams to assist in the development of a regional climate change vulnerability analysis and adaptation planning process in Fairfield and New Haven Counties, as well as provide stakeholder engagement and recommendations on the prioritization and selection of regional resilience pilot projects.
We hope to release the RFQ by mid-January and post it on the
UConn Procurement
website.
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In response to the rising interest in the CRS program, CIRCA allocated funding to support communities with CRS entry and class advancement. CIRCA partnered with Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection staff to advise Milone & MacBroom about which municipalities could benefit and take advantage of CRS technical assistance. As a result of this funding opportunity, participating communities were able to work toward increased CRS points and advance their CRS rating or enter the program, which will ultimately reap the benefit of lower flood insurance premiums on a community wide basis.
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January 24, 2020 - The 2nd Annual
Clinical Climate Change Conference
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New York Academy of Medicine
(125 5th Avenue, New York, NY)
With the last year being the fourth warmest on record, it is critical that health care providers prepare now to address the health effects of increased temperatures and extreme weather events. This conference is aimed at a broad audience of allied health professionals seeking to improve understanding, performance, and patient outcomes.
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January 24, 2020 -
Gallivan Conference - Historic and Green - A New Climate Agenda
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8:30am - 3:30pm
UConn School of Law William F. Starr Hall
(45 Elizabeth Street, Hartford, CT)
This UConn School of Law conference, cosponsored by
Prese
r
vation Connecticut
,
Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennesy LLP
, the
State Historic Preservation Office
, and the
Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association
aims to craft a statewide policy agenda that recognizes preservation as a fundamental environmental value.
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January 30, 2020 - Eighth Annual Green Infrastructure Conference Webinar
12:00pm - 5:00pm
Please join Ballard Spahr and Environmental Law Institute for their annual half-day Continuing Legal Education program on Thursday, January 30. Speakers will address a number of pressing topics related to the green infrastructure and energy landscapes. The conference is held in Washington, DC, however the program is offered via webinar as well.
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PIANC's Declaration on Climate Change
At the The UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in December, The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC) announced a Declaration on Climate Change. The document recognises the importance of the climate change challenge and states that PIANC will actively pursue the sustainable future of the waterborne transport industry by supporting its members in addressing this challenge.
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November 26, 2019 -
Climate Experts Warn of More Severe Flooding Near Tweed Airport
, WTNH
The plan to extend Tweed New Haven Airport’s runway continues to progress however, climate experts fear future environmental changes could cause more issues. CIRCA's James O'Donnell recognizes flooding as the main area of concern for this area, as likelihood of flooding events are expected to increase.
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December 7, 2019 -
Offshore Wind Choice Serves as Milestone for Connecticut
, Connecticut Insider
On December 5th, Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced that it approved Vineyard Wind’s Bridgeport-based plan to advance to contract negotiations with the state’s electric distribution companies. This follows up on Connecticut's 2019 clean energy legislation calling for the state to procure up to 2,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy, although this plan only utilizes 804 megawatts.
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December 9, 2019 -
As Climate Change Accelerates, U.S. Senators Pressure New England’s Grid Operator to do More to Quit Carbon-Based Fuel,
Hartford Courant
Anxieties about accelerating climate change are less global and more local as U.S. senators from New England press the region’s electric grid operator to more aggressively promote carbon-free energy. As states increasingly look to reduce greenhouse gas, eight U.S. senators say ISO-New England is moving at a glacial pace to make zero-emission energy sources more of a priority.
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December 14, 2019 -
As Coastal Waters Rise, CT Plots Climate-Change Strategy,
Press Reader
Long Island Sound has been attacking Connecticut’s coastline at a rate of an inch-and-a-half every decade, but by 2050 it will be an additional 20 inches higher, increasing the vulnerability of properties that are currently insured for $675 billion. The multi-pronged goal is to reduce carbon emissions while protecting life and property at a time where the United States have been withdrawn from the Paris Accords.
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December 26, 2019 -
Ash Creek Dredging to Widen Channel for Boaters, Emergency Responders,
CT Post
A dredging project in Fairfield is projected to increase the depth of Ash Creek to eight feet and the width up to 100 feet. Justin Cathcart, the town’s marina coordinator, said the main goal of this project is to is to clean out the channel not just for the marina’s recreational boaters, but for police and fire vessels, and for water craft used by the U.S. Coast Guard and CT-DEEP.
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December 6, 2019 -
California Ports Support Sea Level Defense,
American Journal of Transportation
The majority of California ports came together on December 3rd to announce their plans for improved defense against sea level rise recognizing that climate change poses a serious threat to U.S. ports and coastal communities.
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December 8, 2019 -
Satellites Key to '10 Insights in Climate Science' Report,
Space Daily
A guide, '10 New Insights in Climate Science' has been presented to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, at the COP25 climate conference. The report provides an assessment of the key advances that have been made over the last 12 months in understanding the drivers, effects and impacts of climate change, as well as societal responses.
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December 11, 2019 -
U.S. House Passes Coastal Resilience Bill That Will Benefit Birds and People
, The National Audubon Society
The US House of Representatives voted to invest in coastal resilience today with the passage of the Coastal and Great Lakes Communities Enhancement Act. The legislation is a consolidation of ten bills that will help coastal states and communities prepare for impacts from flooding, sea level rise, ocean acidification, and changing weather conditions.
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December 10, 2019 -
Senators Back Task Force on Sea Level Rise,
Fox 35 Orlando
The Infrastructure and Security Committee backed a proposal from Governor Ron DeSantis that would create the Statewide Office of Resiliency within the executive branch. The proposal also would establish a Sea-Level Rise Task Force to make recommendations about Florida’s 1,350 miles of coastline and the relatively low elevations of the state that are vulnerable to coastal flooding from sea-level rise, storm surge and heavy rainfall.
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December 16, 2019 -
U.S. House Passes Bill to Aid Coastal Tribes,
Peninsula Daily News
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation sponsored by Rep. Derek Kilmer that would provide resources to coastal tribes to support their efforts to mitigate threats caused by climate change and sea level rise.
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December 23, 2019 -
Georgian Municipalities Join National Efforts to Reduce Climate Threats,
Georgia Today
Representatives of 13 Georgian municipalities facing a high risk of flooding and other climate-driven disasters met on December 19-20 to discuss the threats they face and the potential solutions at a community forum organized by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in partnership with the Environmental Information & Education Center of Georgia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture (MEPA).
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The Resilience Roundup highlights
CIRCA's
presence in the news, provides links to recent local/state/national news articles related to resilience and adaptation, and announces upcoming events and seminars.
The Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation's (CIRCA) mission is to increase the resilience and sustainability of vulnerable communities along Connecticut's coast and inland waterways to the growing impacts of climate change and extreme weather on the natural, built, and human environment. The institute is located at the University of Connecticut's Avery Point campus and includes faculty from across the university. CIRCA is a partnership between UConn and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP).
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