Comparing Extreme Rainfall Exposure to Climate-Focused Planning Efforts
To better understand what attributes have led some communities to address climate-related planning imperatives but not others, this study assesses whether municipalities along the United States Atlantic coast are more likely to have climate-focused plans in place if the municipality has previous experience with extreme precipitation events.
- Of 461 municipalities studied, only 18% had a standalone climate plan.
- Coastal communities seem to engage in more climate-focused planning.
- Coastal places show positive relationships between extreme rainfall and climate planning.
- Riverine communities exhibit negative relationships between extreme rainfall and climate planning.
Extreme precipitation is evaluated as a motivator for climate planning due to its high visibility, role in flooding events, association with tropical cyclones, and expected changes as global temperatures increase.