Page 13 - Mapping the Nation: Taking Climate Action

Visualizing Our Risks Type in an address or pick a point on a map in the new CMRA Assessment Tool and it reveals future climate projections related to extreme heat, drought, inland flooding, coastal flooding, and wildfire. The results show projections for the early years of the 21st century (2015–2044) as well as the middle (2035–2064) and late (2070–2099) years of the century, based on two climate change scenarios: one in which we reduce global emissions of heat-trapping gases to zero by about 2040, and one in which emissions increase through 2100. Among the many indicators are projections related to extreme rain or heat, the number of consecutive dry days, and percentage of coastal counties impacted by global sea level rise. Extreme heat can be judged based on the annual number of days exceeding 105 degrees Fahrenheit. In the census tract that includes Esri's headquarters in Redlands, California, for example, the results reveal possibly 22–42 days per year by the late century (compared with fewer than 4 days in 1990, the year used as a baseline for emissions calculations by many international organizations). In Washington, DC, the number of days with temperatures exceeding 95 degrees Fahrenheit grows from nearly 19 days per year in the early part of the century to as many as 64 days by the last years of the century. Although climate action strategies have become commonplace in some larger metropolitan areas, including Boston, Miami, and Los Angeles, a data-driven approach may have been out of reach for others. The CMRA Portal aims to fill knowledge gaps—helping communities identify climate threats so they can prioritize resilience-building actions and discover programs offering funding to make solutions happen. If you're a state, local, or tribal leader, you could use the tool to better understand how temperature, precipitation, and flooding conditions are projected to change locally and generate straightforward hazard reports that can be 12 White House Portal