Localized Climate Data: A Critical Tool for Decision-Makers

The document emphasizes that local policymakers struggle to act on climate information that is not location-specific. To address this, Climate Central provides two tools: the Coastal Risk Screening Tool, which allows users to explore coastal flood and sea-level rise risk by year or water level, and Risk Finder, which provides data on at-risk populations and facilities for states, counties, and Congressional districts. These tools utilize data from approximately 110 databases, including various U.S. federal agencies such as NOAA, USGS, and FEMA.

• Local policymakers find it difficult to take action when climate information is not specific to their particular location.
• The Coastal Risk Screening Tool is an interactive map enabling users to examine coastal flood and sea-level rise risk based on specific years or water levels, including projections for the Galveston, Texas region for the year 2050.
• The Risk Finder tool provides data on facilities and populations at risk within Congressional districts, counties, and states, allowing users to analyze social vulnerability to sea-level rise between one and 10 feet.
• Climate Central's tools aggregate downloadable data from approximately 110 databases, primarily from U.S. federal sources including NOAA, USGS, FEMA, DOT, DOE, DOI, EPA, FCC, and the U.S. Census.

APA

McGinn, A. (2020). Localized Climate Data: A Critical Tool for Decision-Makers. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/localized-climate-data-a-critical-tool-for-decision-makers

Chicago

McGinn, Anna. Localized Climate Data: A Critical Tool for Decision-Makers. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2020. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/localized-climate-data-a-critical-tool-for-decision-makers.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=McGinn |first1=Anna |title=Localized Climate Data: A Critical Tool for Decision-Makers |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=14 April 2020 |url=https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/localized-climate-data-a-critical-tool-for-decision-makers |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mcginn2020localized, author = {McGinn, Anna}, title = {{Localized Climate Data: A Critical Tool for Decision-Makers}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/localized-climate-data-a-critical-tool-for-decision-makers}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }