Creating a model climate resilient city

The City of Long Beach, California, sees signs of climate change on land and in the ocean. After compiling the City’s official climate assessment report, local stakeholders also produced a more accessible and user-friendly summary version and shared it broadly to stimulate informed discussion and decision making across the city.

Throughout 2015, the Aquarium hosted meetings and workshops with scientists from major universities, government and business leaders, and local residents to identify and assess the key challenges. This effort culminated in the early 2016 publication of the City of Long Beach Climate Resiliency Assessment Report.

The Assessment identified drought and subsequent water shortages, extreme heat, sea level rise and coastal flooding, and deteriorating air quality as the city’s major climate hazards over the next few decades. Additionally, the report focused attention on the most vulnerable populations within the city, concluding that climate change will disproportionally affect seniors, children, those who work or are active outdoors, those who live or work near two busy freeways, people who suffer from chronic health conditions, and low-income residents who lack access to transportation, green space, and other adaptation resources.