Palm Beach County launches climate risk assessment, survey - WFLX Fox 29
Palm Beach County launches climate risk assessment, survey
Palm Beach County officials announced Friday they are launching a countywide Climate Risk Assessment to assess threats due to climate change. This includes extreme heat, agricultural impacts, wildfires and extreme flooding events.
Officials said they are working to develop a resiliency action plan to combat the effect of climate change.
The county had already initiated efforts to identify and evaluate future climate change impacts on important assets. However, officials said this project will formalize that process across all of Palm Beach County.
"Palm Beach County is proactively addressing the impacts of climate change, including extreme heat, unpredictable rainfall, stormwater flooding, stronger storms and sea level rise. This project is the next phase of our work," Palm Beach County Chief Resilience Officer Megan Houston said. "We must deliberately work to ensure that all our community members are prepared for and thrive in the face of a changing climate."
The first community conversation for the project will be held on July 11 at the Belle Glade Library and Civic Center located at 725 Northwest Fourth Street in Belle Glade from 6-7:30 p.m.
For those who cannot attend the workshop in Belle Glade, there will be an in-person viewing gathering at South Bay City Hall located at 335 Southwest Second Avenue in South Bay.
The purpose of the meeting is to explain the project's goals and outcomes and solicit community feedback.
Members of the community can register for the meeting by clicking here.
County officials said the Climate Risk Assessment will include public outreach meetings and community engagement throughout the county. These meetings will help with data collection, flood mapping, and modeling, evaluation of critical assets and suggested updates to Palm Beach County policies.
The county has also launched a survey to gather feedback from the community on the impacts of flooding and climate change. The survey results will help the county prioritize infrastructure improvements, policies and community programs.
All county residents are invited to complete a survey by clicking here.
Officials said the project's outcome will be a Climate Change Risk Assessment and Resilience Action Plan that will make the county eligible for infrastructure grants including the Resilient Florida Grant Program, of which there was more more than $1.5 billion in grants in the past three years.
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Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”