This page provides an overview of the steps the District of Columbia is taking to prepare for the impacts of climate change.

In January 2013, Mayor Vincent Gray signed the Sustainable DC Act of 2012, which was enacted along with the release of the District’s comprehensive sustainability plan, Sustainable DC. Then, on July 29, 2014, Mayor Gray signed into law the Sustainable DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2014. That law articulates the Mayor’s vision to make the District of Columbia, in one generation, “the healthiest, greenest, and most livable city in the United States.” The components of the 2014 Sustainable DC Act are meant to further the goals prioritized in the Sustainable DC plan. The District released its final Sustainable DC 2.0 Plan in April 2019. The Sustainable DC plans present a holistic approach to promoting sustainability across many sectors in the District of Columbia, including climate adaptation planning principles. Sustainable DC 2.0 includes sustainability actions presented under 13 focal topics including: Governance, Equity, Built Environment, Climate, Economy, Education, Energy, Food, Health, Nature, Transportation, Waste, and Water.

In November 2016, the District Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) also released the Climate Ready DC, the District’s climate adaptation plan. The Climate Ready DC plan includes action items for responding to climate impacts, including longer, more frequent heat waves; more frequent intense storms; and increasing sea levels and riverine flooding. The plan identifies projected climate change impacts to infrastructure, community resources, natural resources, and people. In developing Climate Ready DC, DOEE specifically sought to account for the disproportionate climate change impacts on frontline communities by considering social and economic indicators?including poverty, health indicators, and age?as part of its vulnerability analysis. The Climate Ready DC outlines responses across four sectors: transportation and utilities; buildings and development; neighborhoods and communities; and governance and implementation. To support development of the plan, the District also developed climate projections and scenarios for the District and completed a vulnerability and risk assessment.

The District of Columbia was also selected to participate in the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) initiative and DC launched its resilience initiative in February 2017. The District released the Resilient DC plan in April 2019.

 Legislative Actions

In November 2016, the District of Columbia Council passed legislation to establish a new Commission on Climate Change and Resiliency. The Commission is responsible for identifying best practices in resiliency, conducting vulnerability assessments for critical infrastructure and systems, and making recommendations for legislative or regulatory changes needed to reduce vulnerabilities, among other duties. The Act also established a Climate Change and Resiliency Fund, to be administered by DOEE on behalf of the Commission.

In July 2018, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the D.C. Green Finance Authority Establishment Act, marking Washington, D.C. as the first city in the country to establish a Green Bank. Green Banks draw on public funds to fill financing gaps and help scale-up clean energy projects to meet sustainability goals, for example expanding renewable energy and creating green jobs. In addition to helping to facilitate increased private investment in clean energy technology, the D.C. Green Bank has also committed to directing increased investment in resilience measures like stormwater management and green infrastructure projects.

 In November 2018, the D.C. Council passed the Clean Energy DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018 requiring that 100 percent of energy sold in the District to come from renewable sources by 2032; increasing energy standards for new and existing buildings; and creating a sustainable energy trust fund fee to fund green energy projects, with 20 percent of proceeds going to assist low-income residents.

Other resources from the Adaptation Clearinghouse, which have been developed and adopted to help the District of Columbia prepare for the impacts of climate change, are featured in the chart below.

The Georgetown Climate Center’s State Adaptation Progress Tracker, which tracks the progress states are making in implementing adaptation plans, was supported by the MacArthur Foundation.

(Research last updated: May 5, 2019).