Adapting to sea level rise (SLR) – As seas continue to rise, coastal communities face increasing flooding, erosion and storm surge, which will destroy ecosystems and property. We work with state and local governments that seek to minimize these effects by adapting their coastal management, floodplain and zoning laws.
  • Read about our work on adapting to sea level rise
  • Tool kit that presents 18 land-use tools for adapting to sea level rise
  • 2012 Connecticut coastal project, Jena Shoaf and Meagan Singer

Adapting to urban heat – Pavement and buildings absorb heat; they make cities a “heat island” – about 5 degrees hotter in the day and 20 degrees hotter at night compared with surrounding rural areas. Up to 3,000 people could die from extreme heat annually by 2050, an enormous increase from current conditions. We work with local governments to reduce heat islands by using cool roofs, green roofs, cool pavements, and urban forestry.
  • Read about our work on adapting to heat
  • 2012 Dist. of Columbia project, Annie Bennett 
  • 2012 Dist. of Columbia project, Amanda Chuang
  • 2012 project on federal funding, Kylen Grimes
  • Tool kit for adapting to urban heat (May 2012)

Sustainability standards – The European Union has adopted “sustainability standards” for screening fuel imports. These standards consider a number of factors such as impact of fuel production on land use, food prices and availability, and water pollution. At the request of state governments, we are analyzing whether states have the authority and capacities necessary to implement sustainability standards, and if so, what form those standards could take. Current work:
  • 2012 sustainability standards project, Christine Sigurdson

Preemption of state fuel standards – States have developed some of the most progressive low-carbon fuel standards and markets for carbon trading. The industry is challenging the leading state, California, on constitutional and preemption grounds. We work with several states to preserve state authority (legislation, rulemaking, litigation) and minimize the impact of the industry lawsuits.