Climate Change: Adaptation Tools and Guides

ClearPath (ICLEI Energy and Emissions management tool)

“ClearPath is a powerful, advanced web application for energy and emissions management. As a cloud-based tool, it’s easier than ever to store your data, collaborate with colleagues, and use new features as soon as they are available. With hundreds of users, ClearPath is the most widely-used software tool for managing local climate mitigation efforts.”

Ontario Climate Consortium Climate Research Network

The Ontario Climate Consortium Climate Research Network represents a distributed network of scientists and researchers from across Ontario. The database of researchers provides a tool for individuals and organizations in the private and public sector to seek out researchers and experts with climate change expertise in various disciplines. This database also provides the ability for researchers themselves to seek out colleagues and collaborators to address interdisciplinary research challenges.

Mapping Socioeconomics and Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region

Developed in partnership with the Great Lakes Adaptation Assessment for Cities (GLAA-C) at the University of Michigan,Mapping Demographics and Climate Change – Socioeconomics and Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region is an interactive map showing how the social and economic characteristics of the Great Lakes Region are impacted by regionally specific changes in climate. The map features statistical information on over 225 counties throughout the Great Lakes region.The site includes maps for Economy, Infrastructure and Vulnerable Populations.

Assessing the Hydrologic Impacts of Climate Change Training Tool

Created by the Ontario Regional Adaptation Collaborative on Drinking Water Source Protection, Assessing the Hydrologic Impacts of Climate Change is a training program aimed at helping practitioners better understand climate change science and the potential effects of climate change on watershed hydrology and water resources.

Great Lakes Coastal Resilience Planning Guide

The Great Lakes Coastal Resilience Planning Guide is a new resource aimed at connecting planners and coastal, floodplain and stormwater managers with the tools and data they need to account for natural hazards and climate change in the Great Lakes.  This resource will help Great Lakes counties and municipalities communicate coastal issues and inform existing and future land use, infrastructure, and natural resource plans and policies to enhance community resilience.

Cities Impacts & Adaptation Tool (CIAT)

The Climate Impacts & Adaptation Tool (CIAT) is a climate adaptation planning support tool for decision makers at the city level in the Great Lakes Region of North America. It provides usable data such as demographics, socioeconomic data, and both current and projected climate trends. Using this information, the tool also identifies a custom network of climate peers whose current climate reflects how yours may look in the future. The CIAT also provides a searchable database of adaptation strategies pulled from existing climate action plans from across the country.

ADAPT (ICLEI climate change adaptation software)

“ADAPT is a cloud-based software application for managing local climate preparedness analysis and planning processes. It provides a convenient way to organize preparedness efforts, enabling local government staff to scope out a process, identify and manage stakeholders, and conduct vulnerability and risk assessments”.

National Stormwater Calculator

EPA’s National Stormwater Calculator (SWC) is a desktop application that estimates the annual amount of rainwater and frequency of runoff from a specific site anywhere in the United States (including Puerto Rico). Estimates are based on local soil conditions, land cover, and historic rainfall records.

It is designed to be used by anyone interested in reducing runoff from a property, including

  • site developers,
  • landscape architects,
  • urban planners, and
  • homeowners.

The Calculator accesses several national databases that provide soil, topography, rainfall, and evaporation information for the chosen site.

NOAA Digital Coast

Digital Coast (NOAA Coastal Services Center) is a website that provides the coastal intelligence (e.g. data, tools, training, and stories) needed to conserve natural resources and make coastal communities more resilient. The Tools section of the website has links to 52 different tools to help address coastal issues, 11 of which are specific to climate adaptation.

Great Lakes Climate Adaptation Toolkit

Developed by EcoAdapt and Freshwater Future, the Great Lakes Climate Change Adaptation Toolkit was created to help Great Lakes Communities respond to the effects of climate change impacts. The toolkit which is available free of charge includes: a primer on climate adaptation, case studies, guidance on communication, fact sheets, and EcoAdapt’s Climate Vulnerability Assessment Quick Guide.