The City of Boston Plans for Adaptation

Mayor issued an Executive Order to identify and plan to reduce climate risks

• The Executive Order directed each city department to “prepare an integrated plan that outlines actions to reduce the risks from the likely effects of climate change, and coordinate those actions with the City’s plans for emergency response, homeland security, natural hazard mitigation, neighborhood planning, and economic development.”

• The EPA's Climate Change Impacts illustrates the impacts of climate change on a regional level.
• The EPA's Local Government Climate Adaptation Training is designed for local government officials and provides community-based adaptation actions.

City departments conducted vulnerability assessments

• A Climate Preparedness Task Force, consisting of department heads from across city government analyzed vulnerabilities to city services using existing climate studies, including the National Climate Assessment (see below), to inform their vulnerability assessment.

• The EPA's Climate Change Adaptation Workbook helps local governments develop risk-based adaptation plans.

Boston used the vulnerability assessments to inform community plans

• The Office of Emergency Management utilized the vulnerability assessments and Vulnerability-Consequence Adaptation Planning Scenarios (VCAPS) to integrate climate change vulnerabilities within their Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan.

• The Vulnerability-Consequence Adaptation Planning Scenarios (VCAPS) supports planning by local decision makers concerned about coastal management, climate change vulnerability, and adaptation.