The town of Hull has just passed an innovative incentive program to encourage builders to elevate new and renovated structures above predicted floodwaters. The program offers applicants a $500 credit to be used towards building department permit fees if the builder elevates the structure at least two feet above the highest federal or state requirement. […]
Tag Archives | adaptation & mitigation
The Costs of Not Preparing for Climate Change
Posted on September 30, 2009
Even the most conservative project puts sea level rise at 0.5 meter (1.6 feet) higher than current levels. The HRI Socio-Economics Group was asked by the Environmental Defense Fund, with support from the British Consulate General in Houston, to assess what the socio-economic impact might be for the Galveston Bay region of Texas. HRI Endowed […]
New Course: Adapting to Climate Change, a Consensus Approach
Posted on September 28, 2009
On October 29-30, a hands-on professional development course for leaders interested in learning how to manage the risks posed by climate change will take place in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The course will focus on how local, regional and state governments are already feeling the effects of climate change and face greater risks down the road – […]
Smart Growth Guide for Coastal and Waterfront Communities Released
Posted on September 9, 2009
Today the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the International City/County Management Association, and Rhode Island Sea Grant released Smart Growth for Coastal and Waterfront Communities. Developed in consultation with the national Smart Growth Network, the interagency guide builds on the network’s ten smart growth principles to create coastal and waterfront-specific strategies […]
Hurricane Resistant "Louisiana Lift House" Launched
Posted on August 11, 2009
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina & Rita in November 2005 a unique partnership formed with the Terrebonne Readiness and Assistance Coalition (TRAC) to design sustainable affordable housing for the rural coastal bayou regions of Louisiana. A true collaborative effort, the Lift House has been designed in partnership with Oxfam America, Sigus-MIT, and TRAC and […]
Television Programs Promote Storm Resilience
Posted on August 6, 2009
Gambling against Mother Nature is a three-part television series produced in partnership by NOAA’s Coastal Storms Program, the Mississippi/Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, WKRG-TV, the City of Orange Beach, Alabama, and grassroots, inc. to encourage wiser development along the Gulf Coast. Wind and Water: Beaches, Barrier Islands, and Storm Surge, the first of the three 30-minute […]
"Planning for Climate Change" Workshop Materials Released
Posted on August 6, 2009
Developed as a national project for NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System, the “Planning for Climate Change” workshop is geared primarily toward shoreline planners and was developed so that Coastal Training Programs (and other programs/agencies) can customize the workshop and use it as part of their climate change educational efforts. While it lays a foundation […]
Wall of Wind to Blow Houses Down
Posted on July 28, 2009
In a quest to develop a novel residential connection device, researchers from the four Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant college programs have constructed a full-scale testing facility capable of producing winds of up to 140 miles per hour. While most previous testing relied on miniature models, researchers home that the full-scale destructive testing of houses […]
New Report Shows How Urban Governments are Adapting to Climate Change
Posted on July 27, 2009
The Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP) released a report highlighting the innovative measures local governments are beginning to implement to adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change. Developed by CCAP’s Urban Leaders Adaption Initiative, the report, Ask the Climate Question: Adapting to Climate Change Impacts in Urban Regions, (PDF, 1.8MB) offers best practices […]