Climate Programs

The Adaptation Clearinghouse seeks to assist policymakers, resource managers, academics, and others who are working to help communities adapt to climate change.Content in the Adaptation Clearinghouse is focused on the resources that help policymakers at all levels of governments reduce or avoid the impacts of climate change to communities in the United States. The Adaptation Clearinghouse tends to focus on climate change impacts that adversely affect people and our built environment. Content focal areas include the water, coastal, transportation, infrastructure and public health sectors, and adaptation planning, policies, laws, and governance. Resources that fall within these areas receive priority and are the most likely to be published in the Adaptation Clearinghouse.

Categories: climate change, adaptation, policy, infrastructure, resiliency, planning, database

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Climate Change Strategy establishes a basic framework within which the Service will work as part of the larger conservation community to help ensure the sustainability of fish, wildlife, plants and habitats in the face of accelerating climate change.

Categories: Conservation

The Office of the Native American Liaison offers tribal grants for the development and implementation of programs that benefit wildlife and their habitat, including species of Native American cultural or traditional importance and that are not hunted or fished.

Categories: Conservation

The Office of the Native American Liaison offers tribal grants for the development and implementation of programs that benefit wildlife and their habitat, including species of Native American cultural or traditional importance and that are not hunted or fished.

Categories: Conservation

The Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station is one of seven research centers that are part of the USDA Forest Service. The PNW Reserach Station is engaged in a variety of climate-change related research activities, including co-partnering with the University of Oregon’s Environmental Studies Program on this website.

The Native Food Systems Resource Center is an initiative of First Nations Development Institute, under our Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative. Funding for development of this website (and several of our food-related projects) was generously provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. We recognize that accessing healthy food is a challenge for many Native American children and families. Without access to healthy food, a nutritious diet and good health are out of reach. To increase access to healthy food, First Nations supports tribes and Native communities as they build sustainable food systems that improve health, strengthen food security and increase the control over Native agriculture and food systems. First Nations provides this assistance in the form of financial and technical support, including training materials, to projects that address agriculture and food sectors in Native communities.
We also undertake research projects that build the knowledge and understanding of Native agriculture and food-systems issues, and inform Native communities about innovative ideas and best practices. We also participate in policy forums that help develop legislative and regulatory initiatives within this sector.

Categories: traditional foods, family health, community health, cultural practices, native economies

The Interagency Workgroup on Climate Change and Water Resources was formed between the USACE, Bureau of Reclamation, US Geological Survey, and National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration to evaluate how climate change consideration can be incorporated into activities related to the Nation’s water resources.

Categories: Adaptation, Water Resources

FEMA provides a number of resources for tribal communities. The FEMA Tribal Affairs team has included a list of grants related to disasters, hazards, and non-hazards that tribes are eligible for. FEMA also offers tribal training for increasing preparedness for disasters.

Categories: Disaster Planning

The Village Safe Water Program provides technical and financial support to communities to design and construct water and wastewater systems. It is meant to assist Alaska Native Villages and Alaska rural communities with the construction of new or improved drinking water and wastewater systems. This funding can also be used to provide training and technical assistance in the operations and maintenance of these systems.

Categories: Water, Natural Resources, Education

EPA’s Adaptation Resource Center (ARC-X) is an interactive resource to help local governments effectively deliver services to their communities even as the climate changes. Decision makers can create an integrated package of information tailored specifically to their needs. Once users select areas of interest, they will find information about: the risks posed by climate change to the issues of concern; relevant adaptation strategies; case studies illustrating how other communities have successfully adapted to those risks and tools to replicate their successes; and EPA funding opportunities.

Categories: education, tool, climate change, adaptation, planning, outcomes

The EPA hosts a website dedicated to providing information about climate impacts and resources across the United States. This website features current news and information about climate change in the US.

Categories: climate change, energy, environment

Tribes have historically played an important role in environmental issues including air quality and climate change. Tribal citizens are often disproportionately affected by air pollution, while their governments play an increasingly valuable role in controlling and reducing pollution and its adverse health effects. Tribes are also particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and are taking steps to prepare for and become more resilient to these changes. Learn about the environmental programs and technical assistance regarding air quality on tribal lands.

Categories: air quality, climate change, air pollution, health, technical assistance

The Tribal Communities page contains links to EPA resources as well as sites outside of EPA with information that can help tribes reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency, land use planning, renewable energy, transportation, water/wastewater, and waste management. This page also provides information on collaborating with state and local governments, organizations, and Tribal Colleges and Universities for funding and partnering opportunities.

Categories: Education

Tribes have express authority under the Clean Air Act and the Tribal Authority Rule to manage air quality in Indian country. EPA provides technical assistance and resources to help tribes build their program capacity. It is important to note that air quality monitoring serves a different purpose than an emission inventory. Air quality monitoring samples the air to measure which pollutants are present and in what amounts, but does not tell where the pollutants are coming from. An emission inventory tells a tribe what sources are emitting which pollutants into the air. These documents provide guidance to tribes and EPA Regional Offices on how to develop and implement tribal air monitoring programs on tribal lands.

Categories: Air Quality, clean air act, tribal authority rule, technical assistance, monitoring

EPA’s Climate Showcase Communities Program helps local governments and tribal nations pilot innovative, cost-effective and replicable community-based greenhouse gas reduction projects. Fifty Climate Showcase Communities across the United States are leading projects in energy production, residential and commercial energy efficiency, waste management, transportation and land use that reduce energy use and save money.

Categories: GHG Reduction, Mitigation, Energy

The EPA hosts a website detailing different resources, programs and support available to Tribes.

Categories: Environmental Restoration, Pollution, Climate Grants

EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) has developed the Stream-Catchment (StreamCat) dataset, an extensive collection of landscape metrics for 2.6 million streams and associated catchments within the conterminous U.S. StreamCat includes both natural and human-related landscape features. The data are summarized both for individual stream catchments and for cumulative upstream watersheds, based on the National Hydrography Dataset Plus Version 2 geospatial framework.

Categories: Freshwater, Climate Projections, Stream Catchment, Scientific Data

EPA's CRWU initiative provides drinking water, wastewater and storm water utilities with practical tools, training and technical assistance needed to increase resilience to extreme weather events. Through a comprehensive planning process, CRWU assists water utilities by promoting a clear understanding of potential long-term adaptation options for decision-making related to water utility infrastructure financing. This site includes resources to plan for extreme weather and tools to assess risks of extreme weather.

Categories: water management, training, technical assistance, extreme weather events, resilience

This directory includes contact information for the Climate Science Centers (CSCs), Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs), EPA regional offices, US Army Corps of Engineers regional contact information, NOAA RISA regional program contacts and others.

Categories: Conservation, Adaptation

EPA listing of regional and national agency contacts regarding tribes. Page also includes supplemental contact information, e.g. a listing of federally recognized tribes. EPA regional offices and contacts are included in a map on the bottom of the web page.

Categories: Contacts, Listing

This training module is designed to increase your understanding of the causes of climate change, its potential impacts on water resources, and the challenges water resource managers are facing. The course contains three parts which will take about 45 minutes to complete. Optional supplementary information on climate change impacts in the United States is included at the end of the course if you are interested in more details.

Categories: Training Module, Climate Education, Water Resources Impacts

Applications accepted continuously. EPA conducts research in partnership with tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). Selected professors from eight different TCUs will receive funding and technical support from EPA to work with a group of students to solve environmental and public health issues most important to their tribal communities, ranging from sustainable building materials to monitoring of local drinking water wells.

Categories: Health, Research, Water, Natural Resources

The overall goal of the Climate Showcase Communities program is to create replicable models of cost-effective and persistent greenhouse gas reductions that will catalyze broader local and tribal government actions to stabilize the climate and improve environmental, economic, health, and social conditions.

Categories: Energy

SWMM-CAT allows users to evaluate climate change impacts on stormwater runoff volume and quality, and to explore how the application of various low-impact development (LID) options can be used to alter these hydrological parameters. SWMM provides a spatial and temporal analysis of runoff quality and quantity by dividing basins into multiple sub-catchment areas and analyzing runoff at different time steps. It covers a variety of different drivers that can cause runoff in urban areas, including rainfall, snowmelt, and groundwater percolation, among others, and also allows for mapping and modeling of different sub-catchment drainage system components, including pipes, channels, diversion structures, storage and treatment facilities, and natural channels.

Categories: climate change, storm water management, hydrology, spatial analysis, temporal analysis, runoff

This Program Has Been Archived. ArcSEES is a multi-year, interdisciplinary program which seeks both fundamental research that improves our ability to evaluate the sustainability of the Arctic human-environmental system as well as integrated efforts which will provide community-relevant sustainability pathways and engineering solutions. For this competition, interdisciplinary research will be focused in four thematic areas: the natural and living environment, the built environment, natural resource development, and governance.

Categories: Research, Education, Natural Resources, Adaptation, Mitigation, Land, Coastal, Water, Conservation

We're seeking your videos on the impact of climate on Alaska today and the work you are doing to ensure a healthy environment for future generations. We’d like to know:
How changes in climate have affected you, your community, or tribe.
What you are doing to adapt or respond to a changing climate.
What lessons you can share to help other communities become more resilient.
Anything else you’d like to tell us about the changes you are experiencing and actions you are taking.
We'll share our favorite videos on Facebook, Twitter, EPA's website, our Alaska InfoBox, and other Alaska channels. We can’t wait to see what you submit!

Categories: Alaska, video, communication

The Southern California Climate Adaptation Project was initiated to improve understanding about the vulnerability of important southern California habitats to climate change and to develop adaptation strategies designed to reduce vulnerabilities and/or increase resilience of habitats. This project used a collaborative, stakeholder-driven process that involved soliciting input from land and resource managers, conservation practitioners, scientists, and others from federal and state agencies, universities, and nongovernmental organizations. Input was provided through participation on the project's Stakeholder Advisory Committee, a series of workshops focused on vulnerability and adaptation, and peer reviews of draft products. Project products include climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation strategies and actions for 12 regionally important habitats. In addition, four case studies were developed to demonstrate how climate vulnerability and adaptation information can be integrated into on-the-ground projects. The diverse range of products are intended to inform federal agency management plan revisions and projects as well as other regional management and conservation planning efforts.

Categories: adaptation, resilience, habitat, conservation, assessment, climate change

This report summarizes the results of a two-day adaptation planning workshop for the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests as part of their forest plan revision process. The workshop focused on identifying adaptation options for eight key resource areas, including forested vegetation, non-forested vegetation, wildlife, hydrology, fisheries, recreation, cultural/heritage values, and ecosystem services. The report includes a general overview of the workshop methodology and provides a suite of possible adaptation strategies and actions for each key resource area. Adaptation actions were linked with the climate-related vulnerabilities they help to ameliorate as well as the direct/indirect effects they may have on other resource areas.

Categories: adaptation planning, forested vegetation, non-forested vegetation, wildlife, hydrology, fisheries, recreation, cultural/heritage values, ecosystem services

The South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC) is part of a network of Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs). LCCs are applied conservation science partnerships among federal agencies, regional organizations, states, tribes, NGOs, universities and other entities within a geographic area. They are designed to inform resource management decisions in an integrated fashion across landscapes at a broader scale than any individual partner’s responsibility. The partnership will consider landscape-scale stressors, including climate change, habitat fragmentation, invasive species, and water scarcity as it attempts to provide a vision for a landscape capable of sustaining healthy populations of fish, wildlife, plants and cultural resources. The SALCC crosses six states, from southern Virginia to northern Florida.

Categories: Conservation, Natural Resources

The California Landscape Conservation Cooperative (CA LCC) is a management-science partnership created to inform and promote integrated science, natural resource management and conservation to address impacts of climate change and other stressors within and across ecosystems.

Categories: Conservation, Natural Resources