Albany, New York Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan

The City of Albany, New York completed a vulnerability assessment on its exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity to climate change, and from this developed recommended response strategies for current and future climate impacts. This report describes the vulnerability assessment and climate risks for Albany’s social systems, infrastructure and natural resources - and provides recommendations and strategies on how to improve the city’s resilience and adaptive capacity.

The vulnerability assessment begins with a Climate Profile, summarizing Albany’s current climate, observed historical trends, and future projections. Three focal “systems” were selected for priority adaptation planning - society, infrastructure and natural resources - and sectors within these systems were chosen for adaptation planning. Strategies are derived for public health, property, transportation, critical facilities, energy, water and sewer, air quality, natural habitat, and urban forest. Each of the three focal systems are then profiled for respective climate impact projections.

Using the results of the vulnerability assessment, Albany identified an initial set of strategies that will help increase the city’s resilience to climate change and natural hazards in general. Recommendations are given in a matrix format as strategies related to each of these topic or focal areas along with descriptions and the department or “implementer” responsible. 

For example, under the Social Systems sub-sector of Heat-Related Illness, a recommendation is for implementation of recreational water and shade features. The description of this strategy is to: “Incorporate recreational water features in parks and plan trees in parks and along streets, especially in dense urban areas” and is then associated with the Department of Recreation, and the Department of General Services - Engineering, Development and Planning. Many strategies are delineated for each of the three focal systems and related sectors.     

 

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) report, Responding to Climate Change in New York State, referred to as ClimAID, outlines the potential impacts of climate change across New York State and provides recommendations for adaptation strategies to address these impacts. The ClimAID report was instrumental to the development of this vulnerability assessment, providing regional data on changing climate conditions and examples of how such changes will impact equity and economics, water resources, ecosystems, agriculture, energy, transportation, telecommunications, and public health.

 

 

 

Publication Date: 2013

Related Organizations:

  • City of Albany, New York

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Resource Types:

  • Adaptation plan
  • Assessment

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