Coastal Communities Adaptation Act - Fall

Team Members: Julia Weigel, Yichu Lu, Zhiyi Chen, Erin Dickinson, Maya Fuller, Claire Desser, Jonas Goldman, Siwei Pan, Jonathan Rubin, Katlin Stath, Xinyi Wu

Coastal communities face increasing risks from sea-level rise, flooding, and intensifying storms driven by climate change, threatening infrastructure, economies, and public safety. With nearly half of the U.S. population and a significant share of economic activity located in coastal regions, strengthening resilience has become a national priority. The Coastal Community Adaptation Act establishes a federal framework to support coastal resilience through research, infrastructure improvements, and financial assistance. Key provisions include updating building codes, developing resilience planning tools, supporting innovative adaptation technologies, and creating a federal grant program to help coastal states prepare for climate impacts.

The Coastal States Resilience Program forms the centerpiece of implementation, providing federal funding distributed based on vulnerability and population exposure to maximize impact. Administered through NOAA, the program supports infrastructure improvements, community planning, and disaster mitigation efforts. Program design includes new staffing structures, grant administration systems, and performance evaluation frameworks to ensure effective implementation. By prioritizing preventative investments in resilience, the program reduces long-term disaster recovery costs while protecting communities, infrastructure, and economic stability from accelerating climate risks.

Learn more about the MPA-ESP Workshop in Applied Earth Systems Management.