Communities struggle to access and assess the granular information needed to adequately understand and address short-term and long-term climate impacts and challenges like extreme heat, water scarcity, wildfires, and air quality.
View the details on what communities have shared with SLECC from across the state.
Fragmented systems and weak regional coordination hinder the ability to assemble a clear picture of climate risks. Siloed agencies, disconnected jurisdictions, and unaligned planning processes make it difficult to integrate heat, wildfire, flooding, and air-quality vulnerabilities into a shared regional understanding.
Limited local and community-based organizational capacity restricts climate-risk analysis and communication. Staff shortages, technical skill gaps, language-access needs, and administrative burdens reduce the ability of local governments and CBOs to evaluate climate impacts and share information effectively with residents.
Short-term, unreliable, and insufficient funding prevents sustained assessment of climate vulnerabilities. One-off grants, shifting funding cycles, and a lack of stable support make it difficult for communities to maintain up-to-date climate assessments or track changing conditions over time.
Climate data, tools, and assistance are difficult to locate, access, or navigate. Information needed to understand climate exposure—such as risk data, technical assistance resources, grants, and contacts—is spread across multiple platforms, inconsistently organized, and not easily accessible to communities.
SLECC stakeholders have brainstormed the following solution opportunities that can be taken by local leaders. Existing examples of progress or pathways to make further progress are highlighted if known.
Establish and strengthen regional, cross-sector climate collaboratives that unify cities, counties, agencies, CBOs, and land managers to coordinate climate-risk data, resources, and resilience actions. These multi-stakeholder networks integrate energy, housing, public health, and land management strategies, enabling aligned responses to cascading climate impacts—including extreme heat, wildfire, air-quality hazards, and post-disaster recovery needs.
Apply hazard and social vulnerability mapping tools (e.g., Vulnerable Communities Platform) to guide local project siting and design.
SLECC stakeholders have brainstormed the following solution opportunities that can be taken by state leaders. Existing examples of progress or pathways to make further progress are highlighted if known.
Enable small, community-led resilience projects by providing dedicated funding, technical assistance, and streamlined procurement pathways that allow CBOs and grassroots groups to implement heat, flood, wildfire, and air-quality resilience measures.
Develop and maintain a centralized, statewide climate-information system that integrates hazard and social vulnerability mapping, open-source data tools, and public outreach platforms—such as 311-style resilience hotlines, online portals, and accessible in-person or hybrid support—to ensure communities can easily access climate-risk information and resources.
Help us to expand our database. Either share new ideas, best practices or general feedback via this form, or click on a particular item to share additional feedback, information, examples of progress on that particular item.
Please share any additional resources you would like to include by emailing eecoordinator@civicwell.org.
