Executive Summary
Climate change resilience is the capacity of an individual, community, or institution to dynamically and effectively respond to shifting climate impact circumstances while continuing to function at an acceptable level. It is the ability to survive, recover from, and/or live with the effects of climate change. It includes the ability to understand potential impacts and to take appropriate action before, during, and after a particular consequence to minimize negative effects and maintain the ability to respond to changing conditions.
On October 1, 2016 the City of Cape Coral contracted with the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council (SWFRPC) to develop a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (CCVA) for the unincorporated portions of the city. This was completed on January 31, 2017 and provided to the City for review. That project included an assessment of significant potential effects of climate change on the human and native ecosystems of Cape Coral, including consequences for human and natural resources resulting from and related to (1) sea level rise, (2) aquatic and atmospheric temperature rise, (3) changes in rainfall patterns, (4) increased storm intensity, (5) waterbody chemistry, and (6) general weather instability.
A second part of the same contract was to develop the following City of Cape Coral Climate Change Resiliency Strategy (CCCCRS).
