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Vermont Global Warming Solutions Act
In September 2020, the Vermont State Legislature passed the Vermont Global Warming Solutions Act (H.688), which requires the state to pursue climate solutions that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and support environmental and economic resilience. Specifically, the act transforms Vermont's existing GHG emission reduction goals into legal requirements and orders the development of the state’s first Climate Action Plan to identify strategies to reduce state GHG emissions, build healthy and resilient communities, and adapt to Vermont's already-changing climate. Notably, the act includes a provision that allows private citizens to bring a lawsuit against the state government upon the state's failure to adopt or update any rules necessary to implement the Climate Action Plan, including for failure to promulgate rules necessary to implement adaptation or resilience actions, in order to require the state to comply with the act. The act also has a noteworthy focus on equity and ensuring that resilience building programs are accessible to rural, low-income, and marginalized communities.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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From the Ground Up: The State of the States on Climate Adaptation for Agriculture
March 2018
Recognizing the leading role that states are playing in addressing climate change, this report from the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy catalogues policies related to the need for agricultural adaptation in the 18 states states with climate adaptation plans (or specific agricultural policy papers). These states include: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Related Organizations: The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Resource Category: Planning
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Flood Ready Vermont website
Along with unprecedented damages to Vermont from Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, extreme flooding conditions occur regularly across the state. The Flood Ready Vermont website describes the urgency for preparing for flooding at the community level, and provides tools and resources for adaptation and flooding resilience.
Related Organizations: State of Vermont
Resource Category: Data and tools
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New England and Northern New York Forest Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment and Synthesis: A Report from the New England Climate Change Response Framework Project
January 2018
Led by the U. S. Forest Service (USFS)’s Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, this assessment evaluates the climate change vulnerability of forested ecosystems in the New England region (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, northern New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont). The report summarizes the current state of forests in the region including threats and management trends, describes climate impacts as they would progress under projected future climate scenarios, and relays the results of an extensive vulnerability assessment of the region’s forests.
Related Organizations: Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS)
Resource Category: Assessments
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Climate Adaptation in the Agricultural Sector: Lessons from Vermont
November 2, 2017
This report from the Georgetown Climate Center describes climate-smart agricultural practices and efforts states can take to help farms prepare for climate change impacts. The report also includes a case study of how the State of Vermont supported adaptation in the agricultural sector after Hurricane Irene in 2011, which may be helpful to states and communities recovering from recent storms. The report was authored by Deborah Markowitz, former Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.
Related Organizations: Georgetown Climate Center
Author or Affiliated User: Deb Markowitz
Resource Category: Solutions
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Avoiding Septic Shock: How Climate Change can cause Septic System Failure and Whether New England States are Prepared
February 2017
This white paper discusses climate change impacts on septic systems in New England, and whether states in the region are prepared for these impacts. The paper provides a state-by-state analysis of septic system regulations in New England and discusses how these regulatory frameworks are not fully considering climate change impacts, especially groundwater table rise. It also identifies challenges in septic system regulation, and suggests recommendations and best practices for how states and municipalities can work to change laws, amend rules, or adopt new policies or incentives to better construct, manage, and regulate septic systems to be resilient to climate change.
Author or Affiliated User: Elena Mihaly
Resource Category: Assessments
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Vermont Flood Ready Atlas
The Vermont Flood Ready Atlas is an online mapping tool that offers community to watershed level data and visualizes the risk of localized flooding in Vermont. The Atlas identifies local watersheds and provides a view of the extent of natural flood protection provided by Vermont’s forests, wetlands, floodplains and river corridors.
Related Organizations: State of Vermont
Resource Category: Data and tools
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Vermont Climate and Health Profile Report: Building Resilience against Climate Change in Vermont
September 2016
The Vermont Department of Health completed a comprehensive assessment of public health impacts of climate change, as a step toward furthering development of public health adaptation strategies for the state. The report summarizes climate trends and future projections for Vermont; synthesizes the health impacts of climate change, and evaluates the public health threat posed by each exposure in the context of Vermont-specific climate projections. The work is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and utilizes the process as defined in the CDC’s Building Resilience against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework.
Related Organizations: Vermont Department of Health
Resource Category: Assessments
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EPA New England Healthy Communities Grant Program
The Healthy Communities Grant Program is EPA New England’s main grant program to work directly with communities to reduce environmental risks in order to protect and improve human health and the quality of life, advance resilience, and preserve/restore important ecosystems. EPA acknowledges that all communities are at risk for climate change and extreme weather impacts, and supports planning and preparation for these impacts within Healthy Communities projects.
Related Organizations: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Resource Category: Funding
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Vermont Economic Resiliency Initiative and Final Report
September 30, 2015
Developed by the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, the Vermont Economic Resiliency Initiative (VERI) evaluated and ranked Vermont communities where economic activity and the associated infrastructure are at high risk of flooding. The goal of the project is to help communities recover quickly from disasters, minimize interruptions to businesses and the local economy, and reduce flood recovery costs. The Initiative was designed to provide a foundation to develop community-tailored action plans to reduce the loss of jobs, inventory, revenue, as well as the cost to repair roads, bridges, and other key infrastructure.
Related Organizations: Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development
Resource Category: Assessments
