ResilienceSeattle builds resiliency in the face of changing climate
The federal government’s National Climate Assessment, released in May, detailed the region-by-region effects which includes water shortages, sea-level rise, and more frequent wildfires. Most American cities fall short on climate change preparation when compared to several major cities around the world. A survey conducted by MIT reported that globally, “the U.S. has the lowest percentage of cities engaged in (climate change) assessments and planning.” Seattle has decided it needs to act, and act now, to make itself more resilient in the face of a changing climate.
Climate change is already having an impacts in the United States. The federal government’s National Climate Assessment, released in May, detailed the region-by-region effects which includes water shortages, sea-level rise, and more frequent wildfires.
Most American cities fall short on climate change preparation when compared to several major cities around the world. A survey conducted by the Massachusetts Institute for Technology with ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability reported that globally, “the U.S. has the lowest percentage of cities engaged in (climate change) assessments and planning.” Most U.S. cities that have begun to invest in climate change preparation are in the early stages.
Government Technologyreports that Paul Fleming, head of Seattle Public Utilities’ (SPU) adaptation and resiliency program, has formed partnerships and developed tools to help the utility adapt to climate change. The nearly decade-long effort requires local governments to “engage the science,” Fleming says.
Working with researchers from the University of Washington’s (UW) Climate Impact Group, SPU has identified some effects of climate change already occurring in Seattle. High-intensity rainstorms that were previously considered “once-a-century” events now tend to last longer than expected. With the frequency of such storms predicted to increase, SPU’s staff meteorologist, James Rufo-Hill, collaborates with researchers at UW’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences to run the Seattle RainWatch program, an emergency-management and climatology tool that allows SPU to proactively respond to problems before they occur.
As storms strain Seattle’s drainage system, causing the streets to flood and sewers to backup, RainWatch uses traditional radar imagery with rain-gauge data gathered throughout the city to record how much rain fell in a specific location and where a storm is moving. City data on resident calls and overflows allows SPU to send crews to clear drain pipes or notify the public in advance of a heavy rain.
SPU is also using climate assessments to advise city planners on future infrastructure designs. For projects expected to last decades, the city must consider the effects of climate change decades into the future. “Our goal is to create a little bit of a foothold where we expand the notion of what needs to be considered when you’re thinking about a capital project,” Fleming says.
SPU’s long-term commitment to resilience will require frequent adaptation as climate conditions change. “This isn’t a one-off thing where you go and find the answer and bring it back home and build a plan around it,” Fleming says. “That answer is going to be evolving over time.”
