Looking for a US 'climate haven' away from heat and disaster risks? Good luck finding one

• … Even when my dad was a kid and lived there, no floods, no floods, no floods, no floods.
• That June, a storm dumped more than 6 inches of rain on the region, overloading stormwater systems and flooding homes.
• These “climate havens” are areas touted by researchers, public officials and city planners as natural refuges from extreme climate conditions.

Six climate havens

• Yet each of these cities will likely have to contend with some of the greatest temperature increases in the country in the coming years.
• Warmer air also has a higher capacity to hold water vapor, causing more frequent, intense and longer duration storms.
• These cities are already feeling the impacts of climate change.

Older infrastructure wasn’t built for this

• Older cities tend to have older infrastructure that likely wasn’t built to withstand more extreme weather events.
• Many cities are investing in infrastructure upgrades, but these upgrades tend to be fragmented, are not permanent fixes and often lack long-term funding.
• Typically, they also are not broad enough to protect entire cities from the effects of climate change and can exacerbate existing vulnerabilities.
• At the confluence of these infrastructure challenges is more frequent and extensive urban flooding in and around haven cities.

What can cities do to prepare?

• Working across sectors and including community input in planning for climate change can help highlight concerns early.
• There are a number of innovative ways that cities can fund infrastructure projects, such as public-private partnerships and green banks that help support sustainability projects.
• Cities will have to remain vigilant about reducing emissions that contribute to climate change, and at the same time prepare for the climate risks creeping toward even the “climate havens” of the globe.