As climate change throttles California, new U.S. tool lets people see the long-term impact

The Biden Administration on Thursday unveiled a new website intended to provide localities, agencies and individuals with a clear look at the current and future impacts of climate change.

The announcement comes on the heels of a historic heat wave in California, amid a drought that is devastating the western states, and after a summer that saw extreme flooding in many parts of the country.

“The impact of extreme weather and climate events is now being felt by millions of Americans,” said Richard Spinrad, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

David Hayes, special assistant to the president for climate policy, said that the Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) Portal is designed to provide Americans with a deeper understanding of climate’s impact today and in the coming decades.

“This is going to be a living portal and we’ll constantly be adding new futures,” Hayes said in a press conference announcing the website.

The portal features data from a variety of federal agencies highlighting the risks of extreme heat, drought, wildfire and flooding. It offers the ability to zoom in to see the impact at the street level.

“We’re really building this with the principles of open data,” said Benjamin Preston with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The website also provides climate change impact models, with special flags highlighting disadvantaged communities and climate change-responsive building codes.

Hayes said that the plan is to add more data to the portal as it becomes available.

The website can be found at resilience.climate.gov.