Resilience & Adaptation

Climate change is hitting Vermont hard and fast. Communities across the state are facing more frequent and intense flooding, extreme weather events, impacts to agriculture, threats to public health, damage to infrastructure, and increased costs for residents, businesses, and municipalities. Disasters that were once considered a rarity, such as “100-year” flood events, are becoming more frequent and damaging. The back-to-back flooding on July 10, 2023 and July 10, 2024 caused catastrophic damage across mountainous terrain and river valleys, hitting the Lamoille Valley, central Vermont, the Northeast Kingdom, and Windham County particularly hard. Homes and businesses were damaged, families were displaced, roads and bridges were washed out, farms suffered significant losses, and each flood event caused more than $1bn in damages. In 2025, Vermont was hit by drought, devastating or lowering crop yields, drying up waterways and causing farmers to have to haul water for their operations. 

With the consequences of a warming planet already baked into our atmosphere – more intense and frequent storms, droughts, heat waves, and other disasters amplified by climate change –  the need to adapt and become climate resilience is also essential. The IPCC defines adaptation as the process of adjusting to actual or expected climate conditions and their effects, while resilience refers to the ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from climate impacts while minimizing harm to communities, economies, and the environment. In practice, this means helping Vermont communities anticipate challenges, reduce risks, protect critical systems, and recover more effectively when extreme weather events occur. Together, these approaches help communities protect the people, places, and systems that make up Vermont. 

Thankfully, more Vermonters are taking steps to help their communities become more resilient on a changing planet. Local energy committees, Conservation Commissions and community groups have an important role to play in resilience and adaptation. Through local energy planning, community education, implementing adaptation and resilience strategies, fostering new and needed social infrastructure, and advocacy for climate-smart policies, energy and climate action committees can play an important role in helping Vermonters build safer, healthier, and more resilient communities. Below, find organizations and resources to help your community prepare for a changing climate.