Work Item
ASTM WK76938

New Guide for Climate and Community Mapping

1. Scope

The ASTM guide will facilitate a standardized approach for data driven climate and economic justice screening tools to identify communities threatened by the cumulative impacts of climate change, racial inequality and multi-source environmental pollution. This guide will address tools and protocols that assess the community benefits that could result climate resilient strategies such as increased public health and safety, economic vitality and strengthened ecosystem services. This guide can also help the private sector meet their Environmental, Social, and Governance objectives. Sources for this guide will include academia, Federal agencies such as EPA, FEMA and NOAA, states, nonprofits, private sector, and international organizations addressing climate change and resilience. This guide can link to the proposed ASTM climate and communities guide for public communication. As an example, the EPA CREAT tool provides scenario-based climate change projections, including extreme heat and more intense storms and present challenges to water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities and the communities. This tool helped lay the framework for the community driven initiative Proctor Creek Watershed Atlanta Georgia Green Infrastructure and Health Story Map.

Keywords

Climate, Community Mapping, community benefits assessment, environmental justice, community vulnerability screening, resilient communities

Rationale

Climate change can exacerbate existing health threats or create new public health challenges through a variety of pathways such as extreme heat, flooding, poor air quality (including the impacts of wildfire smoke), food, water and energy shortages, changes in infectious agents, population displacement, heat-related illnesses, cardiopulmonary illness, food, water, and vector-borne diseases and mental health consequences and stress. Where people live and their age, health, income, or ability to access health care resourcescan positively or negatively influence peoples vulnerability to climate change and extreme weather effects. Minority, low income/economically depressed and indigenous communities are often the most vulnerable most overburdened by environmental and public health stressors. (US EPA) Various public and private entities have created mapping tools and community benefits assessment guidance to address climate change impacts such as Flooding, Wildfires, extreme temperature, and economic disparities. Most notability the US EPA has developed tools to help communities anticipate, plan for, and adapt to the changing climate. These tools cover Air Quality, Water Management, Waste Management & Emergency Response, Public Health and Adaptation Planning and Environmental Justice. Some states have their own map tools available to assist with identifying highly impacted or vulnerable communities and the cumulative environmental risk such as California CalEnviroScreen 3.0 and the State of Washington Tracking Network. Nonprofits such as First Street Foundation mapped the impact of flooding to communities of color living in Chicago and Fort Lauderdale and found that Nearly twice as many properties may be susceptible to flood damage than previously thought. Another nonprofit, the ITRC 2021 Sustainable Resilient Remediation Guidance offers social and economic goals and broad indicators.

The title and scope are in draft form and are under development within this ASTM Committee.

Details

Developed by Subcommittee: E50.07

Committee: E50

Staff Manager: Molly Lynyak

Work Item Status

Date Initiated: 05-17-2021

Technical Contact: Barbara Maco

Item: 000

Ballot:

Status: