Summary of State Actions to Support Local Progress

This page provides an overview of the actions that New York State agencies are taking to support adaptation efforts at the local level.

Many of the state’s efforts are focused on providing financial and technical assistance to help local governments assess their vulnerabilities, develop plans, and implement adaptation projects on the ground.

New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation, in partnership with five other state agencies, oversees the Climate Smart Communities program, a network of communities throughout the state taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase climate resilience. Specific to adaptation, the program calls for communities to alter the built and natural environment to proactively prepare for or retroactively respond to climate change impacts. Communities can start by taking the Climate Smart Communities Pledge and become “certified” as a gold, silver, or bronze community for actions that mitigate local risks to climate impacts and increase resilience in ways that go above and beyond what is required to be a foundational member. The program’s certification component is designed to maximize local performance and encourage peer recognition among participants.

The program’s incentives include free technical assistance from the state and priority for grants for certified communities under the Climate Smart Communities Grant Program, which started in 2016, where the state provides a 50/50 match to municipalities for climate adaptation and mitigation projects. In 2018, funds were made available to support two broad categories of projects: (1) non-power sector adaptation and mitigation projects that can reduce a municipality's flood risk or increase its climate resilience by, for example, relocating or retrofitting vulnerable facilities or restoring wetlands and natural buffers; and (2) adaptation, land use, and municipal fleet management or other projects, like preparing climate vulnerability assessments or adaptation plans, that support a community’s ability to become certified. As of July 2021, 341 Climate Smart Communities are participating in the program.

In October 2014, through the Climate Smart Communities program, the state also developed a Climate Smart Resiliency Planning tool to help local governments work across sectors to plan for climate change. The tool helps local governments incorporate climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness strategies into existing planning documents by providing resources to help jurisdictions identify vulnerabilities, assess risks, and implement adaptation actions.

Beginning in 2021, the Department of Environmental Conservation started administering the New York State Climate Leadership Coordinator Services. In 2022, the program name was updated to Climate Smart Communities Coordinators.The Climate Smart Communities Coordinators program is a $3.5-million initiative to select relevant organizations to serve as contractors to provide technical assistance to local municipalities on climate change adaptation and mitigation projects. Selected contractors will work in one of three territories in New York 一 Western, Eastern, and Downstate territories 一 and will help local governments and communities with “outreach, education, planning, capacity-building, and assistance with project implementation.” This initiative, also a part of the Climate Smart Communities program, will help the state of New York adapt to present and future climate change impacts and reach greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements.

In 2017, New York announced a competitive funding opportunity to provide grants to counties to help them develop countywide resiliency plans. The state has also awarded nearly $40 million to 75 municipalities in the fourth round of Restore NY Communities Initiative grants, which support municipal redevelopment projects.

In May 2016, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) launched a Climate Change Clearinghouse to provide a single source of climate science and information for decisionmakers at all levels of government in the state. The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation also maintains a list of case studies of communities with climate action or energy plans throughout the state that can serve as a peer-learning resource for municipalities.

Through the NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program, the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery worked with jurisdictions affected by Hurricane Sandy to develop plans to rebuild more resilient communities with federal Community Development Block Grant — Disaster Recovery funding. The state is currently working with municipalities to implement final plans.

The state also provides training, financial, and technical support for municipalities in specific sectors:

Agriculture

To support adaptation in the agricultural sector, New York Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Soil and Water Conservation Committee and Districts oversees the state’s Climate Resilient Farming Grant Program, which began in 2016, to reduce the impacts of agriculture on climate change and increase the resiliency of farms. Districts use the Agricultural Environmental Management Framework to plan and assess their environmental risks. As a result of the program, farmers working under the framework can now receive funding for and address climate-related risks to agriculture. On April 27, 2018, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an award of nearly $2.2 million for 34 farms through the program (the third round of funding since the grant program was created in 2016). Funded adaptation projects have included projects to restore riparian habitat (and control livestock access to these flood buffer areas); grow diverse species of cover crops to promote soil health; increase irrigation capacity; and improve water management to make farms more resilient to droughts, heavy rainfall, and flooding. In addition, the Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions (formerly Cornell Institute for Climate Change and Agriculture) facilitates research and works directly with farmers to help make agricultural practices more resilient and minimize the negative impacts of agriculture on climate change. In 2015, the institute launched a Climate Smart Farming website to provide agricultural stakeholders in the Northeast with access to tools, resources, and best management practices in one place.

Coasts

The Department of State’s Office of Planning and Development catalogs local grant programs that can be used by municipalities for projects that combat sea-level rise and climate adaptation more broadly. These local grant programs are administered as part of the the Environmental Protection Fund and the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. In addition, the Department of Environmental Conservation's Hudson River Estuary Program is funding task forces in four waterfront communities along the Hudson River estuary. The locally-appointed task forces are mapping vulnerability to sea-level rise and developing recommendations to address risks.

Public Health

To address climate impacts to public health, the Department of Health developed a “Climate and Health 101” training to increase community awareness about the impacts of climate change on public health using information gleaned from the 2015 "Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) in New York State" report. In addition, the state tracks changes in environmental hazards, public health exposures, and disease through its Environmental Public Health Tracking system. The system allows the public to view environmental, health, exposure, demographics and property, and personal choice data (e.g., people’s behavior or lifestyle choices). One unique feature of the system is a county-specific map that displays cooling centers for people increasingly confronted by heat-related illness in a warming climate.

(Research last updated: July 28, 2021).