Using Climate Information in Local Planning
A Guide for Communities in the Great Lakes

Using Climate Information in Local Planning: A Guide for Communities in the Great Lakes outlines how community planners in the Great Lakes can use available data resources, existing science, and current policies and programs to adapt to climate change and its impacts. This guidebook explores:
- Climate change impacts in the Great Lakes
- Decision making under climate uncertainty
- Using climate information in the local planning process
- Assessing community-wide vulnerability
- Building local climate knowledge and capacity
- Making the case for action to other local decision makers
The particularities of local politics and community context means a straightforward “how-to” will be useful only in ideal scenarios. Instead, this guidebook focuses primarily on how communities can develop a framework of their own for mainstreaming climate information, science, and adaptation into their planning efforts.