Climate Hazards Data Integration and Visualization for the Climate Adaptation Solutions Accelerator (CASA) through School-Community Hubs

Community engagement in planning is essential for effective and just climate adaptation. However, historically underserved communities are often difficult to reach through traditional means of soliciting public input. The Climate Adaptation Solutions Accelerator (CASA) through School-Community Hubs project identifies public schools as promising sites for building both community engagement and community capacity for climate adaptation. To serve in this role, schools need information about the intersecting threats climate change poses to the communities they serve. The Climate Hazard Dashboard for California Schools is a platform that maps current and future climate hazard risks, including wildfire, extreme heat, extreme precipitation, flooding, and sea level rise, for the nearly 10,000 public schools serving kindergarten through Grade 12 students in California. Each hazard is mapped and visualized at the school level, providing an accessible way for administrators, teachers, students, and neighborhoods to explore data reflecting the climate hazards they face, at a scale relevant to their communities. The dashboard also provides an aggregate summary hazard metric. 

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our gratitude to those who have supported and helped guide our team throughout this project. Your contributions, whether big or small, have been invaluable to realizing CASAschools. 

Principal Investigators: Sarah Anderson, Professor, Associate Dean of Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Bren School; Danielle Harlow, Professor, Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Faculty Development, Gevirtz School; Simone Pulver, Associate Professor, Vice Chair, UCSB Environmental Studies 

Cal-Adapt: Eric Lehmer and Andy Lyons

Southern California Public Health Alliance: Savannah North, MPH; Alexander Nikolai, MPPA; Coline Bodenreider, MPH

Ventura County Public Health: Paulina Nava, MPH

Gevirtz School: Kaylee Laub, PhD Candidate; Karin Lohwasser, Associate Teaching Professor, CalTeach Program Director; Teacher Education Program Graduate Students