Getting Started with Climate Resilience

As one of the most climate-stressed places in the world, California experiences profound and varied impacts across its vast expanse. Preparing for climate change requires learning how to adapt in the face of this change in order to increase the resilience of communities, natural systems, and our built environment to withstand and recover from climate-related disruptions.

Climate adaptation and resilience are related, but distinct concepts. Generally, climate adaptation is an action or set of actions that reduce physical climate risk. California is taking steps to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate at the state, regional, and local levels; preparing for these changes is called adaptation. A series of adaptive steps contribute to resilience, which describes a state of readiness to face climate risks.

Resilience is the capacity of any entity – an individual, a community, an organization, or a natural system – to prepare for disruptions, to recover from shocks and stresses, and to adapt and grow from a disruptive experience.

To meet the scope, scale, and urgency of action needed to build climate resilience, the state is taking bold action to:

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon capture, removal, and sequestration (climate mitigation);
• Adapt and adjust natural, built, and human systems to moderate the harm and exploit beneficial opportunities from actual and expected climate-related hazards and conditions (climate adaptation); and
• Integrate and operationalize social equity and environmental justice in all climate resilience efforts (climate equity).

Recognizing that some communities are better positioned to respond, recover, and adjust to the impact of climate change than others, State climate adaptation and resilience efforts prioritize equity to ensure a climate-resilient California for all.