Tools for Climate Change Adaptation

On this page:

EPA staff have developed tool(s) to help communities anticipate, plan for, and adapt to the changing climate.

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  • The most relevant tools based on your search are provided below.
  • To sort tool "Names" alphabetically, click on the arrow icon next to "Name."
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Air Quality

Name Brief Description Available Training Contact EPA Example
Smart Growth Fixes for Climate Adaptation
and Resilience		 This guide covers a wide-range of potential areas of interest including adaptation planning, sea-level rise, extreme weather (e.g., precipitation, flooding, heat), and wildfires.  Specific land use and building code and policy changes that can help communities prepare for climate change while bringing other economic, environmental, health, and societal benefits. N/A Megan Susman
(susman.megan@epa.gov)		 N/A
RAINE, Resilience and Adaptation In New England RAINE is a database that catalogs activities in more than 100 New England jurisdictions addressing climate change impacts. The database provides information at the state, local, or regional level. It includes information such as web links, reports, plans, tools, specific practices, funding sources, and partnerships. R1_Raine@epa.gov
(R1_Raine
@epa.gov)		 N/A
ICLUS, Integrated Climate and Land Use Scenarios The ICLUS project is developing scenarios broadly consistent with global-scale, peer-reviewed storylines of population growth and economic development, which are used by climate change modelers to develop projections of future climate. User Manual and data sets Britta Bierwagen (Bierwagen.Britta
@epa.gov)

Phil Morefield (Morefield.Philip
@epa.gov)		 Land-Use Scenarios: National-Scale Housing-Density Scenarios Consistent with Climate Change Storylines
Enhancing Sustainable Communities With Green Infrastructure Guide The Green Infrastructure Guide helps communities plan and design green infrastructure for multiple environmental, health, social, and economic benefits. N/A Smart Growth (smartgrowth
@epa.gov)		 Green Infrastructure for Climate Resiliency
 

Water Management

Tools for Water Related Climate Change Adaptation

Waste Management & Emergency Response

Name Brief Description Available Training Contact EPA Example
Disaster Debris Recovery Tool  A mapping tool of facilities for disaster response, recovery and planning experts to advance the safe recovery, recycling and disposal of disaster debris.  View the slides and listen to a recording about the national tool held on June 18, 2020.  Kaps.Melissa@epa.gov   
Storm Surge Inundation and Hurricane Strike Frequency Map Under EPA’s Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative, this mapping tool illustrates current advisories from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), hurricane strike history, and potential worst-case coastal storm surge or inundation scenarios derived from Sea, Lake, and Overland Surge from Hurricanes (SLOSH) models by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These maps highlight the specific flooding hazards for coastal utilities, combined with 100 and 500 year flood plains from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to support systems in their assessments of coastal flooding risk during hurricane season. CRWU Training Center CRWUhelp@epa.gov
(CRWUhelp@epa.gov)		  
RAINE, Resilience and Adaptation In New England RAINE is a database that catalogs activities in more than 100 New England jurisdictions addressing climate change impacts. The database provides information at the state, local, or regional level. It includes information such as web links, reports, plans, tools, specific practices, funding sources, and partnerships. R1_Raine@epa.gov (R1_Raine
@epa.gov)		 N/A
Climate Scenarios Projection Map Under EPA’s Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative, this mapping tool provides easy to access scenarios of projected changes from EPA's Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool for annual total precipitation, annual average temperature, precipitation intensity for the 100-year storm, number of days per year with temperatures above 100 F, and sea-level rise for coastal locations. CRWU Training Center CRWUhelp@epa.gov
(CRWUhelp@epa.gov)		  
ICLUS, Integrated Climate and Land Use Scenarios The ICLUS project is developing scenarios broadly consistent with global-scale, peer-reviewed storylines of population growth and economic development, which are used by climate change modelers to develop projections of future climate. User Manual and data sets Britta Bierwagen (Bierwagen.Britta
@epa.gov)

Phil Morefield (Morefield.Philip
@epa.gov)		 Land-Use Scenarios: National-Scale Housing-Density Scenarios Consistent with Climate Change Storylines
Enhancing Sustainable Communities With Green Infrastructure Guide The Green Infrastructure Guide helps communities plan and design green infrastructure for multiple environmental, health, social, and economic benefits. N/A Smart Growth (smartgrowth
@epa.gov)		 Green Infrastructure for Climate Resiliency

No Currently Identified Tools

Please view the Waste Section of the Resources Page for appropriate documents and guidebooks on climate adaptation for waste and emergency response.

Public Health

Name Brief Description Available Training Contact EPA Example
Smart Growth Fixes for Climate Adaptation
and Resilience		 This guide covers a wide-range of potential areas of interest including adaptation planning, sea-level rise, extreme weather (e.g., precipitation, flooding, heat), and wildfires.  Specific land use and building code and policy changes that can help communities prepare for climate change while bringing other economic, environmental, health, and societal benefits. N/A Megan Susman
(susman.megan@epa.gov)		 N/A
RAINE, Resilience and Adaptation In New England RAINE is a database that catalogs activities in more than 100 New England jurisdictions addressing climate change impacts. The database provides information at the state, local, or regional level. It includes information such as web links, reports, plans, tools, specific practices, funding sources, and partnerships. R1_Raine@epa.gov (R1_Raine
@epa.gov)		 N/A
Climate Scenarios Projection Map Under EPA’s Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative, this mapping tool provides easy to access scenarios of projected changes from EPA's Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool for annual total precipitation, annual average temperature, precipitation intensity for the 100-year storm, number of days per year with temperatures above 100 F, and sea-level rise for coastal locations. CRWU Training Center CRWUhelp@epa.gov
(CRWUhelp@epa.gov)		  
ICLUS, Integrated Climate and Land Use Scenarios The ICLUS project is developing scenarios broadly consistent with global-scale, peer-reviewed storylines of population growth and economic development, which are used by climate change modelers to develop projections of future climate. User Manual and data sets Britta Bierwagen (Bierwagen.Britta
@epa.gov)

Phil Morefield (Morefield.Philip
@epa.gov)		 Land-Use Scenarios: National-Scale Housing-Density Scenarios Consistent with Climate Change Storylines
Enhancing Sustainable Communities With Green Infrastructure Guide The Green Infrastructure Guide helps communities plan and design green infrastructure for multiple environmental, health, social, and economic benefits. N/A Smart Growth (smartgrowth
@epa.gov)		  

No Other Currently Identified Tools

Please view the Public Health Section of the Resources Page for appropriate documents and guidebooks on public health climate adaptation.

Adaptation Planning

Name Brief Description Available Training Contact EPA Example
Resilient Strategies Guide Under EPA’s Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative, this online guide assists water utilities with planning priorities, resilience building, and customized information based on the experiences of other utilities and best available climate science. CRWU Training Center CRWUhelp@epa.gov
(CRWUhelp@epa.gov)		 CRWU Case Study and Information Exchange Map
RAINE, Resilience and Adaptation In New England RAINE is a database that catalogs activities in more than 100 New England jurisdictions addressing climate change impacts. The database provides information at the state, local, or regional level. It includes information such as web links, reports, plans, tools, specific practices, funding sources, and partnerships. R1_Raine@epa.gov (R1_Raine
@epa.gov)		 N/A
Planning Framework for a Climate-Resilient
Economy		 A framework and process to help communities assess their economic vulnerability to climate change and improve their economic resilience. It is designed to be flexible so communities with varying levels of analytical expertise, time, and funds can use it. Some communities can use it to get a "big picture" assessment of their vulnerabilities. Others could use more sophisticated tools such as GIS and other computer-based models and a team of experts to map out specific economic impacts or threats and business opportunities. N/A Megan Susman
(susman.megan@epa.gov)		 N/A
Regional Resilience Toolkit: 5 Steps to Build Large-Scale Resilience to Natural Disasters Toolkit that helps regions plan for disasters, such as those caused by more frequent and intense storms, by working across multiple jurisdictions and with nongovernmental partners.   N/A Abby Hall (hall.abby@epa.gov) N/A
Climate Scenarios Projection Map Under EPA’s Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative, this mapping tool provides easy to access scenarios of projected changes from EPA's Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool for annual total precipitation, annual average temperature, precipitation intensity for the 100-year storm, number of days per year with temperatures above 100 F, and sea-level rise for coastal locations. CRWU Training Center CRWUhelp@epa.gov
(CRWUhelp@epa.gov)		  
Smart Growth Fixes for Climate Adaptation
and Resilience		 This guide covers a wide-range of potential areas of interest including adaptation planning, sea-level rise, extreme weather (e.g., precipitation, flooding, heat), and wildfires.  Specific land use and building code and policy changes that can help communities prepare for climate change while bringing other economic, environmental, health, and societal benefits. N/A Megan Susman
(susman.megan@epa.gov)		 N/A
Storm Surge Inundation and Hurricane Strike Frequency Map Under EPA’s Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative, this mapping tool illustrates current advisories from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), hurricane strike history, and potential worst-case coastal storm surge or inundation scenarios derived from Sea, Lake, and Overland Surge from Hurricanes (SLOSH) models by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These maps highlight the specific flooding hazards for coastal utilities, combined with 100 and 500 year flood plains from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to support systems in their assessments of coastal flooding risk during hurricane season. CRWU Training Center CRWUhelp@epa.gov
(CRWUhelp@epa.gov)		  
Stormwater Calculator with Climate Assessment Tool Desktop application that estimates the annual amount of rainwater and frequency of runoff from a specific site anywhere in the United States. The calculator includes future climate vulnerability scenarios. SWC@epa.gov (SWC
@epa.gov)		 Mount Rainier Green Infrastructure Master Plan (PDF)(85 pp, 10.8 MB)
Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT) Under EPA’s Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative, this tool assists drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities in assessing climate-related risks to utility assets and operations and considering adaptation options to build resilience. CRWUhelp@epa.gov
(CRWUhelp@epa.gov)		 CRWU Case Study and Information Exchange Map
Climate Ready Estuaries (CRE) Workbook for Developing Risk-Based Adaptation Plans. The workbook provides guidance for conducting risk-based climate change vulnerability assessments and developing adaptation action plans.  CREhelp@epa.gov (CREhelp
@epa.gov)		 Climate Change Risk Management: The San Juan Bay Estuary
ICLUS, Integrated Climate and Land Use Scenarios The ICLUS project is developing scenarios broadly consistent with global-scale, peer-reviewed storylines of population growth and economic development, which are used by climate change modelers to develop projections of future climate. User Manual and data sets Britta Bierwagen (Bierwagen.Britta
@epa.gov)

Phil Morefield (Morefield.Philip
@epa.gov)		 Land-Use Scenarios: National-Scale Housing-Density Scenarios Consistent with Climate Change Storylines
BASINS, Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources BASINS is a multipurpose environmental analysis system designed to help regional, state, and local agencies perform watershed- and water quality-based studies. basins
@epa.gov		 BASINS Case Study
Climate Change Handbook for Regional Water Planning  The Handbook provides a framework for considering climate change in water management planning. The handbook guides resource managers and planners with key decision considerations, resources, tools, and decision options to adapt to a changing climate. Vulnerability Assessment Checklist

Suzanne Marr (Marr.Suzanne
@epa.gov)

 N/A
Enhancing Sustainable Communities With Green Infrastructure Guide The Green Infrastructure Guide helps communities plan and design green infrastructure for multiple environmental, health, social, and economic benefits. N/A Smart Growth (smartgrowth
@epa.gov)		  
Flood Resilience Checklist The Flood Resilience Checklist is an assessment tool for communities to use to identify opportunities to improve their resilience to future floods through policy and regulatory tools. The tool is currently available online with an expanded version of the tool in development. Stephanie Bertaina (Bertaina.Stephanie
@epa.gov)		 Planning for Flood Recovery and Long-Term Resilience in Vermont
Storm Water Management Model with Climate Adjustment Tool - SWMM-CAT A comprehensive computer model for analysis of quantity and quality problems associated with urban runoff. SWMM-CAT Users Guide (PDF)(17 pp, 807 K) Michael Tryby (Tryby.Michael
@epa.gov)		 N/A
Watershed Index Online (WSIO) The WSIO Tool is an application that enables users to compare watersheds in a user-defined geographic area, using factors of their own choosing. It calculates indices, compares watersheds, and produces results in rank-ordered tables, graphs and maps. Most national datasets require knowledge of advanced GIS skills and software. WSIO transforms these data into simple watershed indicators, and then makes them accessible in a common spreadsheet application (Excel). Quick Start Users Guide. This file contains the basic steps to get started, and is recommended for download along with your WSIO customized tool. Elizabeth Smith
(smith.elizabeth@epa.gov)		 N/A
Collaborative Guide: A Reef Manager's Guide to Coral Bleaching The Collaborative Guide: A Reef Manager's Guide to Coral Bleaching provides coral reef managers with the latest scientific information on the causes of coral bleaching and new management strategies for responding to this significant threat to coral reef ecosystems. N/A Jordan M. West (West.Jordan
@epa.gov)		 N/A
Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPPCAT) Model An online tool for assessing and managing the potential impacts of climate change on sediment loading to streams using the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) Model. N/A Thomas Johnson (Johnson.Thomas
@epa.gov)		 N/A

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Last updated on February 12, 2025