Columbus climate adaptation plan

The Columbus Climate Adaptation Plan (CCAP) is the result of four years of effort that involved looking critically at climate change impacts, risks, and vulnerabilities in Columbus. The result is a set of prioritized actions that should be taken by city government, regional organizations, and residents to make the city more climate resilient. This document utilizes our understanding of Earth processes and climate change to help inform our local public policies. The CCAP Task Force sought involvement of stakeholders, technical experts, and the general public in developing this plan.

The CCAP includes a significant amount of information, and the Task Force acknowledges that readers have limited time. Therefore, the document is a series of thematic chapters designed to be read independently of each other. On page 4, readers will find a list of terms and abbreviations that are used throughout the document. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the science of climate change and local impacts felt in Columbus, as well as a table that includes all of the action statements. Chapters 2 through 9 discuss the action statements specific to each theme. Chapter 10 discusses accountability and considerations for future work to improve climate resiliency.

While 43 actions are recommended to be taken by the City, the list is prioritized into necessary (denoted with an N) and aspirational actions (denoted with an A), based on the methodology outlined in Appendix A. The necessary actions are those deemed most impactful and easiest to implement based on expertise, cost, and will, and are therefore given higher priority. Approximately 16 actions were deemed to be of lowest priority and have been included in Appendix B for reference only.