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 Updates
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November 12, 2019 - Resilient Connecticut Climate Adaptation Summit
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9:00am - 4:00pm
Fairfield University, Barone Campus Center, Oak Room
Please join CIRCA for the first annual Resilient Connecticut Summit.
Commissioner Katie Dykes
from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will provide a welcome and
Shaun O’Rourke, Rhode Island Chief Resiliency Officer
will give a keynote address. Participants will hear about the structure and progress for the Resilient Connecticut project and provide feedback on key planning and technical elements. Breakout sessions will focus on “Developing Capacity and Building Resilience Tools for Connecticut."
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October 31, 2019 Webinar - Forming Local Resilience Committees:
A Discussion with Two Connecticut Coastal Towns
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11:00am - 12:00pm
On an October 31st Resilient Connecticut webinar, we will hear from representatives from two coastal Connecticut towns that are in the process of forming resilience committees. After a short introduction from CIRCA staff, these presenters will describe their committees’ charge and structure, technical assistance needs, and ways they are bringing together diverse stakeholders to address resilience. The remainder of the webinar will be devoted to answering questions from webinar participants.
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CIRCA Releases New Websites
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Products Available - New Planning and Visualization Tools for Sea Level Rise
New “resilience scenario” diagrams from CIRCA and UConn’s Center for Energy and Environmental Law (CEEL) are now available online. Three diagrams visualize resilience planning strategies for: 1) barrier beach resilience, 2) marsh resilience, and 3) resilience corridors. The diagrams are meant to be used by municipal and state agency staff as communication and planning tools and are drawings that depict sea level rise and flooding problems common in many Connecticut towns. Click below to download the diagrams and listen to a Resilient Connecticut webinar given in July to explain these new products.
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Climate Change Innovation Grant
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This seed grant represents a key focus area within Yale's Center for Business and the Environment: Climate Change Innovation. Project proposals must contain the potential for positive sustainability impact on climate change, as well as potential commercial viability and scalability of the solution. Applications are due on
Friday, October 4th, 2019.
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NOAA
Climate Program Office FY2020 Funding Opportunity:
Understanding Climate Impacts on Fish Stocks and Fisheries to Inform Sustainable Fisheries Management
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For FY20, the Coastal and Ocean Climate Applications (COCA), in partnership with NOAA and the NMFS Office of Science and Technology, is soliciting proposals for multidisciplinary projects to better understand the impacts of climate variability and change on marine ecosystems and implications for fish stocks, fisheries and the communities and economies that depend on them in certain large marine ecosystems.
Proposals are due on
Monday, October 28, 2019
. The application package is available on
grants.gov
.
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October 2, 2019 -
Climate, Health, & Social Work Practice
Webinar
2:00pm - 3:00pm
This webinar is presented by The Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health and the National Association of Social Workers. Topics addressed in the webinar include health effects of climate change and how they relate to social work practice and impacts of extreme weather events on communities, with a particular focus on disaster response in Puerto Rico.
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October 9, 2019 - UConn Provost's
Distinguished
Speaker Series:
Emmanouil Anagostou
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Konover Auditorium
(405 Babbidge Road, Unit 1205, Storrs, CT)
Professor Emmanouil Anagnostou, the founding Director of the Eversource Energy Center and Applied Research Director of CIRCA, is featured during this month's UConn's Provost Distinguished Speaker Series. His expertise in hydrometeorology, hydrologic remote sensing, and storm-impact modeling will be featured along with his research on precipitation measurements at a global scale.
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October 30, 2019 - The Connecticut Association of Flood Managers
Annual Conference and Meeting
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8:00am - 4:00pm
Water’s Edge
(1525 Boston Post Road, Westbrook, CT)
The Connecticut Association of Flood Managers (CAFM) will convene its sixth Annual Conference and Meeting. This year, presenters will present a broad range of riverine and coastal topics, including floodplain restoration, resilience planning, modeling, urban drainage, community engagement, and critical facilities assessment.
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October 30, 2019 - Opportunity Zones - Choose Connecticut
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8:30am - 2:00pm
Omni New Haven Hotel
(155 Temple Street, New Haven, CT)
The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) is hosting a conference designed to educate stakeholders about the inner-working of Opportunity Zones, which are an important concept for the Resilient Connecticut project. Join investors, developers, content experts and local leaders to learn about Opportunity Zones across Connecticut through panels, interactive discussions and networking.
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November 4th-8th, 2019 - Gulf of Maine 2050 International Symposium
The Westin Harborview
(157 High Street, Portland, ME)
Join leaders from across New England and the Maritime Provinces from November 4th-8th for this event that brings together environmental, economic, social and institutional perspectives on climate resilience in the Gulf of Maine. Participants will learn about how the Gulf of Maine is expected to change in the next 30 years, build a shared vision for regional resilience, and activate new collaborations for action. Registration closes on October 5th.
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September 3, 2019 -
State Senator Cohen Announces New Coastal Caucus to Address Shoreline Climate Issues
,
Branford Seven
On September 3rd, state Senator Christine Cohen announced the formation of the bipartisan Coastal Caucus, which coincides with the Governor's Executive Order 3. The Coastal Caucus plans to hold an informational session with the CIRCA and other environmental organizations to gather information on pertinent issues and how best to tackle climate action.
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September 3, 2019 -
Lamont applauded, and challenged,
on climate change response
, CT Mirror
Gov. Ned Lamont signed an executive order on September 3rd that he says will advance Connecticut’s momentum on climate change, but he was challenged to explain the state’s continued reliance on natural gas and its slow pace of financing projects that could mitigate the impact of rising seas and extreme weather.
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September 3, 2019 -
Governor Lamont Forum on Climate Change
, YouTube
CT Governor Ned Lamont held a forum on climate change on September 3rd at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Headquarters. Those interested in watching a recording of the forum can follow the link below.
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September 16, 2019 -
CT’s Small Solutions to Climate Change: A Series
,
CT Mirror
The CT Mirror recently released a six-part series entitled "Covering Climate Now". These stories focus on the efforts from across the state to mitigate the effects of climate change. The series explores how Connecticut is grappling with the effects of climate change, one small solution at a time. A link to the webpage with all six articles can be found below.
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September 16, 2019 -
Researchers Hone Our Ability to Map Storm Flooding
, UConn Today
Major storms such as Hurricane Dorian are a reminder that massive flooding can occur within a matter of hours. UConn researchers are developing a radar satellite-based mapping technique that they say dramatically reduces the time it takes to delineate flooded areas — not only enabling first responders to be much quicker and more effective, but improving the ability of forecasters to more accurately predict the inundated area caused by future storms.
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September 16, 2019 -
State Website Predicts Impact of Rising Sea Level Along Connecticut Shoreline due to Climate Change
, Hartford Courant
A
new interactive website
produced by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and UConn shows how rising sea level due to climate change could affect Connecticut’s 21 largest tidal marshes as well as shoreline roads.
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September 23, 2019 -
Climate Week in New York is Just Getting Started
,
The New York Times
On September 20th, tens of thousands of young New Yorkers marched from Foley Square to Battery Park in Manhattan, joining millions globally who, in a coordinated day of action, implored leaders to take steps to combat climate change. This marked the beginning of the events in New York for climate week; following this were different talks with professors and scientists, as well as art displays and musical performances.
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September 25, 2019 -
Rhode Island Prepares for Flooding
,
Yale Climate Connections
As seas rise and storms grow stronger, Rhode Island’s 400 miles of winding shoreline are increasingly vulnerable to flooding. Due to this, the state is working to protect roads, dams, and water treatment plants that are at risk as the water rises.
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September 27, 2019 -
New Conservation Lecture Series Launched
In Greenwich,
Patch
The Conservation Commission is thrilled to announce a free environmental lecture series on Climate Change topics that will be held in Greenwich every Wednesday night during the months of October and November. Save the date of November 6th to attend a talk by CIRCA's Director of Resilience Design and Deputy Executive Director, Alex Felson.
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August 30, 2019 -
Austin May Create New Post to Deal With
Climate Emergencies
, Climate Wire
Austin city staffers have recommended creation of a “chief climate resilience officer” position at a salary of up to $200,000 a year to deal with a recent climate emergency. The position is the first priority in a
climate resilience plan
explicitly linking climate change with natural disasters like flooding, wildfires, extreme heat and drought.
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September 3, 2019 -
How Has Climate Change Affected
Hurricane Dorian?
, New York Times
Climate change-centered questions tend to be misguided after a natural disaster. Instead of asking if climate change caused the event, it is more accurate to ask how climate change worsened its impacts. Recent research suggests that climate change has made stalled Atlantic storms more common
since the mid-20th century, and that
they are more dangerous because they stay in one place
for a longer period of time, potentially concentrating their destruction.
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September 4, 2019 -
Baker-Polito Administration Awards $2.4 Million for Projects Promoting Coastal Resilience to Climate Change,
Mass.gov
The Baker-Polito Administration announced more than $2.4 million in funding to support local and regional efforts to proactively plan for and reduce coastal storm and climate change impacts, including storm surge, flooding, erosion and sea level rise, with a focus on coastal Massachusetts communities.
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September 9, 2019 -
Trump Administration Releases Billions in Disaster Resilience Funding
, Scientific American
As approved in February of 2018, the federal government is giving $7.65 billion to 15 states and localities hit by major disasters in recent years to help protect against the effects of climate change. However, in a recently published
notice
, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) invited applications for the funding and explained requirements and the kind of projects that would qualify as “mitigation activities.”
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September 12, 2019 -
Cape Cod Commission Initiates Community
Process on Climate,
Cape Cod Today
The Cape Cod Commission recently announced a series of facilitated sub-regional community meetings scheduled for October 2019 to solicit input on planning priorities, concerns, and barriers to moving climate adaptation and mitigation actions forward in the region.
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September 14, 2019 -
Fighting Climate Change can Infuse $7 Trillion
Into the Economy
, QRIUS
Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing humanity, with far-reaching and devastating impacts on people, the environment and the economy. In a
recent report
by the Global Center on Adaptation, it is concluded that investing $1.8 trillion globally in five areas from 2020 to 2030 could generate $7.1 trillion in total net benefits. These five areas are early warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, improved dryland agriculture, mangrove protection, and investments in making water resources more resilient.
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September 21, 2019 -
The Past, Present and Future of
Climate Change
, The Economist
The Economist has released a report analyzing climate change's progression. From the explosion of fossil fuel use, carbon usage, warming temperatures, how the growing population contributes to the acceleration of climate change, and more. Also discussed are future projections and how populations can adapt in their area.
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September 23, 2019 -
How Supporting Climate Action on a Local Level Can Transform the World
, World Economic Forum
Effectively fighting climate change includes the participation of someone often overlooked as a driver of climate adaptability and resilience - authorities at the local, city and municipal level, specifically those in developing countries. Appropriate climate action and good governance are intrinsically connected and climate action has the potential to transform the world, even if it begins on a small scale.
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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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