Help Communities Prepare for Climate Change
The growing consequences of climate change threaten communities throughout the country. But some communities are particularly vulnerable due to a combination of climate and socioeconomic risks. The decades ahead will be defined by climate change and how we respond to it – we must not let our vital climate adaptation work build inequity into our future.
One thing communities on the frontlines of climate change badly need: support from federal agencies for measures to increase their resilience before the floods, storms and other climate impacts strike.
Urge the directors of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support policies that will help these communities be better protected and prepared for those climate changes we can’t avoid.
Many coastal communities are facing growing risks from flooding and storm surge, worsened by sea level rise. These impacts fall disproportionately on low-income and minority communities, as a recent Union of Concerned Scientists report, Surviving and Thriving in the Face of Rising Seas: Building Resilience for Communities on the Front Lines of Climate Change (www.ucsusa.org/survivingandthriving), demonstrates.
Your agency administers programs that can help protect and prepare communities. I ask that you ensure that these programs prioritize those communities that are most at risk and specifically target funding and resources to them. Communities need your agencies to engage with them proactively and help build resilience before disasters strike.
The decades ahead will be defined by climate change and by how we respond to it – we must not let our country's vital climate adaptation work build inequity into our future.
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Sincerely,
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