Climate adaptation: the state of practice in U.S. communities

This report provides valuable insights into the practice of climate change adaptation in the United States, including how to support the many community-based champions working to reduce their communities’ vulnerability to climate change impacts.

Through the provision of 17 case studies of communities taking action to prepare for climate change, climate variability, or extreme events, the report documents local experiences with adaptation. It demonstrates that the practice has been occurring for many years, even if those taking such action did not explicitly label it as adaptation.

The report also assesses what has worked in preparing for and responding to extreme events so the knowledge can be applied to the threats from climate change. There is the recognization that the use of mechanisms for coordinating adaptation action across the U.S. is growing, yet this remains in the early stages of development.