Why a Data-Informed Approach?

In the United States, efforts to strengthen resilience to climate change are often shaped by a crisis response to extreme weather disasters rather than by proactive planning. The nation’s costliest natural disaster to date was Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In terms of community impact, 40% of the 1.5 million residents in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama who were forced to evacuate did not return to their homes. In the city of New Orleans specifically, nearly 100,000 residents lost their jobs in the months following the storm, with thousands more left homeless, the majority of whom were Black. As with many climate emergencies, Hurricane Katrina had disproportionate impacts on people of color and people from low-income households. However, the hurricane’s devastating legacy also shaped the way New Orleans and the surrounding regions later responded to and prepared for extreme weather through investment in jobs that helped to strengthen and improve flood-protection systems. 

More recently, the record-setting polar vortex that hit Texas and surrounding southern states in 2021 also left many regions in shock. Over 13 million people lost electricity and 250 people died due to the extreme weather, which also caused nearly $100 billion in economic damages. Despite the mixed commitment and, at times, opposition to climate preparedness steps at the state level, the impacts of this storm spurred discussions about implementing stronger measures to enhance the state’s energy infrastructure, investing more in renewable energy resources, and subsequently expanding green jobs that will help these regions be better prepared for more extreme weather in the future.   

Crises like hurricanes and polar vortexes can accelerate these climate-readiness steps in the short term, highlighting the need to act quickly and build economic resilience for unexpected extreme weather events. In these cases, such reactive planning can even build momentum toward lasting change. But recognizing your region’s lower readiness earlier can potentially lead to more significant, and even life-saving outcomes. Using available tools and strategies to examine local political readiness and social vulnerability can put regions on a path to proactive planning for creating a sustainable economy with quality green jobs and more effective responses to a wide range of climate emergencies. Weighing the different factors as they apply to your local area can support tailored strategies to achieve maximum impact where it is most needed. Significant, sometimes systemic, changes in the service of communities can be difficult, but there is always a first step to be taken—and data can help.