Overview

Coastal communities affected by sea-level rise, stronger and more frequent storms, increased flooding, and other climate-related impacts are actively seeking to use the best-available climate information to improve their resilience to current and future change.

The National Climate Task Force, created under Executive Order 14008, established the Coastal Resilience Interagency Working Group (CR-IWG) in July of 2021 to apply a whole-of-government approach to meeting this public need. Co-chaired by NOAA and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the CR-IWG brings together agencies to:

  • Align major Federal involvement in coastal resilience activities; 
  • Develop equitable grant-making and data implementation strategies that will facilitate coordinated working partnerships with state, Tribal, territorial, and local governments on coastal resilience investments; and 
  • Facilitate the use of the Federal government’s data sharing and mapping resources to improve coastal resilience investment decision-making.
Aerial drone perspective with birds eye view on Elliot Bay with Puget Sound ocean water and city skyline of downtown skyscraper buildings in Pacific Northwest.

Participating agencies

AmeriCorps

Army Corps of Engineers

Department of Agriculture

Department of Defense

Department of Homeland Security

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Department of Interior

Department of Transportation

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

New interagency tools, resources, and announcements

White House Logo -image of white house in blue oval with the words The White House Washington below.

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces Roadmap for Nature-Based Solutions to Fight Climate Change, Strengthen Communities, and Support Local Economies

White House Fact Sheet highlighting new actions and recommendations announced at COP27 that will make nature-based solutions a go-to option for fighting climate change and boost progress towards U.S. climate goals.

 

A group of people planting marsh grass behind a structure parallel to the shoreline.
REPORT: Opportunities to Accelerate Nature-Based Solutions: A Roadmap for Climate Progress, Thriving Nature, Equity and Prosperity

 Executive Order 14072  Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies, directed the production of "a report to the National Climate Task Force to identify key opportunities for greater deployment of nature-based solutions across the Federal Government, including through potential policy, guidance, and program changes.” This report represents a collaborative multi-agency effort led by the White House Domestic Climate Policy Office, CEQ, and OSTP. 

Nature-based solutions are emerging as a preferred way for communities to protect shorelines, infrastructure, and people from coastal flooding.

RESOURCE GUIDE: Nature-Based Solutions Resource Guide: Compendium of Federal Examples, Guidance, Resource Documents, Tools and Technical Assistance

The Nature-based Solutions Resource Guide was developed alongside Opportunities to Accelerate Nature-Based Solutions: A Roadmap for Climate Progress, Thriving Nature, Equity and Prosperity to provide 30 examples of federal nature-based resilience projects and a comprehensive list of 177 federal resources on nature-based solutions. 

 

Pivers Island living shoreline .

RESOURCE GUIDE: Compendium of Federal Nature-Based Resources and Guidance for Coastal Communities, States, Tribes, and Territories

A compendium of federal resources and guidance on coastal green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and habitat restoration available to assist coastal communities, states, tribes, and territories in evaluating, enabling, and investing in nature-based adaptation strategies.

 

Sea level rise is turning nuisance flooding into a “sunny day” event — high-tide flooding that occurs even without a storm.

REPORT: Interagency Sea Level Rise Task Force: 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report

The Sea Level Rise Technical Report provides the most up-to-date sea level rise projections out to the year 2150 for all U.S. states and territories; decision-makers will look to it to help communities assess potential changes in average tide heights and height-specific threshold frequencies as they strive to adapt to sea level rise.

 

Jeremy Hoffman, a climate and earth scientist at the Science Museum of Virginia, left, and Vivek Shandas, a professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University, design the routes that citizen scientists will later take to collect heat data for mapping Richmond's heat islands earlier this year.

RESOURCE GUIDE: Application Guide for the 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report

The Application Guide is designed to assist coastal decision-makers and coastal professionals with applying and integrating the information in the 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report into local sea level rise planning and adaptation decisions. 

 

Interagency Coastal Resilience Science Coordination and Services

March 29, 2023-- The White House Coastal Resilience Interagency Work Group hosted a webinar featuring presentations by co-chairs from the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and the Interagency Council on Advancing Meteorological Services (ICAMS) to discuss emerging priorities and actions that their workgroups are undertaking to advance the coordination of science and services related to coastal resilience. Transcript available here.