Evaluation of CCRUN

The Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast (CCRUN) is working with stakeholders in the urban corridor stretching from Boston to Philadelphia to improve the management of climate risks and adaptation to climate change. CCRUN researchers and the decision makers at stakeholder institutions are working together to develop ways in which climate science, and information tools based on climate science (e.g., seasonal forecasts), can help design policies and make decisions to reduce vulnerability to climate events in three areas: 1) water (including problems of flooding, water availability and quality); 2) health (including the effect of heat waves and air quality); and 3) coastal zones that are vulnerable to storm surges. The research is also helping to understand which population groups are most vulnerable to different risks and why, and what changes in policies and in the way that institutions serve these populations can help to reduce vulnerability.

An important and novel component of CCRUN is an impact evaluation, the objective of which is to document and communicate what the effective approaches are to reducing vulnerability to climate risks in the water, health, and coastal zone sectors under different climatic, environmental, and socio-economic conditions. An important component of the research is estimating the economic value of climate information based on realized reductions in vulnerability. We want to understand which approaches undertaken by CCRUN work and which do not; for whom they work, and under what conditions; why the approaches work; and how large the benefits are of each. The research will produce evidence that can guide the design of strategies to improve adaptation in other urban settings.