Cities And Developers Must Prepare For Climate Change Now

On February 12, 2018, President Donald Trump released his fiscal year 2019 budget proposal entitled "An American Budget." Though Congress will not implement the proposal in its entirety, it still demonstrates what the Trump Administration would like to see prioritized in the coming year, which does not include climate change research. President Trump's proposal would cut the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's climate research by more than one third, which would include cutting research into sea level rise.

In the wake of federal cuts, local governments and developers need to be proactive in addressing climate resiliency. As Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Irma have made clear, rising sea levels coupled with increased natural disasters and storm surges present an ever-increasing threat to developments along the shoreline. During the first week of 2018, the Boston area experienced record-breaking high tides during a bomb cyclone that left thousands without