Climate Change & Infrastructure Resilience Climate Change & Infrastructure Resilience

New England Collaborations

Tora Johnson and Judy East attended the EPA New England-sponsored “Preparing for Climate Change Leaders Summit” on November 8, 2013 in Providence RI. Several others attended from Maine including Maine DEP Commissioner Patricia Aho, Maine DEP Sustainability Coordinator George MacDonald, and Maine State Geologist Pete Slovinsky.

The Goal of the New England Summit:

“To launch collaborative actions from regional leaders that will make New England municipalities resilient to climate change”

yielded 6 Action Teams with associated “Champions” to work in collaboration on:

  1. Vulnerability Assessment and Resilience Planning: Laboratory and Road Map
  2. Commissioner Convened State Roundtable with Federal Partners to Coordinate Assessment Resources 
  3. Integrate Adaptation Planning into Business as Usual staring with Public Safety
  4. Common Data Platform for New England
  5. Multi-level communication initiative: Making Climate Impacts and Solutions Local and Personal
  6. Public-private workgroup to scope smarter spending on resilient infrastructure

 All of the Action Teams will convene at the Local Solutions: Northeast Climate Change Preparedness Conference in Antioch NH on May 19-21.

 Tora Johnson and Judy East are designated "Champions" for the 3rd and 5th Action Teams above; they have shared and will be sharing the tools and results of the Washington County Climate Vulnerability Assessments at several other conferences in 2013-14 including: