The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) is charged with regulating activities, including planning and development, along the state’s coastline. In January 2008, the CRMC adopted Section 145 of their Coastal Resources Management Program, which specifically addresses climate change and sea level rise.

Related documents:

DNR’s Policy: Building Resilience to Climate Change, October 2010

Adaptation Plan I: Sea Level Rise and Coastal Storms [pdf], 2010

Phase II Strategy for Reducing Maryland’s Vulnerability to Climate Change, January 2011

Long Island Sound is one of the most densely populated coastal areas in the world with an estimated eight million people within its coastal watersheds alone. Sea level rise, intense coastal storms, and flooding threaten residents and the built and natural environments of these coastal communities. Despite the tremendous investment over three centuries in infrastructure, housing, and other structures, there remain several viable estuaries and river systems of national importance.

Key Impacts
Common themes of impacts identified by
participants include:
•     Reduced water quality and shifts in water
availability (i.e. more in winter, less in
summer);
•     Decline in efficiency of, and potentially
significant damage to, public works,
transportation, and communication
infrastructure;
•     Extended duration and shifts in timing of
seasonal peak water demands;
•     Diminished productivity or total loss of

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Climate Change Adaptation

Maine is one of 10 states and cities recently chosen by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess threats, make plans and develop programs to meet the public health challenges of climate change. The focus of this work is to: