April 21, 2021

Climate change is already impacting the Philadelphia region; we are experiencing more intense rainfall, longer heat waves, a rising sea and more frequent storm surges. These impacts increase the risks faced by our communities, environment, economy and infrastructure. Informed decision making is critical to building a more resilient future, and that process begins with research.

One of the goals set for Climate Year was to co-generate a multidisciplinary climate and sustainability research agenda with local stakeholders. That process now begins now with this invitation to help develop a Climate Resilience Research Agenda (CRRA) for the Philadelphia Region. This unique, unprecedented and collaborative project, organized jointly by the partners listed below, seeks to:

• Identify knowledge gaps that currently limit regional climate adaptation actions
• Develop a list of research activities that can help to fill these gaps

The research agenda will be developed gradually, over the summer of 2021, in working groups that will be composed of academic researchers, community leaders, practitioners, scientists and others each of whom bring a unique perspective to this conversation. The groups will meet three times over the summer, with a presentation of the group’s findings in a fall public meeting.

You can nominate yourself and/or another individual to participate as a working group co-lead or a working group member. The details and responsibilities for working groups as well as the link to the nomination form can be found on the CRRA webpage.

For any questions regarding the CRRA or nomination process, please contact Korin Tangtrakul: krt73@drexel.edu.