Giving Compass' Take:

• Francie Diep interviewed state and county officials to learn how and why they are conducting their own climate assessments. 

• What are the advantages of local assessments? How can funders help counties and states best direct resources to create comprehensive, actionable assessments? 

• Learn why most Americans don't worry about climate change. 

As climate researchers often say, science doesn't care about your beliefs. The Earth is still going to warm. And state and other local authorities are still going to prepare for that future, as I learned from a series of interviews. I spoke with scientists and officials who work on climate assessments for their own states and counties.

THE CALIFORNIA CLIMATE ASSESSMENT
Vital Stats:

  • California's fourth state climate assessment published this week.
  • Very thorough, it provides predictions for nine distinct regions of California and dozens of sectors.
  • It's paid for by fees on Californians' electricity bills.

THE MONTANA CLIMATE ASSESSMENT
Vital Stats:

  • Montana's first-ever state climate assessment published in 2017.
  • Much smaller than California's, it focuses on climate change's effects on Montana's water, forests, and agriculture.
  • It was paid for with a National Science Foundation grant for research.

CLIMATE CHANGE PLANS IN BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA
Vital Stats:

  • Broward County is on Florida's southeast coast.
  • It has climate plans for different sectors, such as drinking water, public health, and agriculture.
  • It's also a part of a "Climate Change Compact" with three other south Florida counties. Their latest climate plan was published in 2017.

Read the full article about climate assemesnts by Francie Diep at Pacific Standard.