Travel provides the opportunity to see a new perspective and to think about what works in different contexts. Not to say that any country necessarily has it all figured out, but there are lessons we can find when we get out of our bubbles, see a place that operates very differently and rethink what’s possible. If you're in the climate analysis or community space, you can't go to a new city or country and not see examples of "what ifs" at every turn. A few weeks ago my wife and I knocked out a bucket list trip to Japan -- which I used as a chance to see what I could learn from a country with per capita GHGs that are roughly half of the US. 

I was struck by finding the UN's Sustainable Development Goals displayed in countless places, spying heat pumps everywhere, going from intimidated to pleasantly surprised by transit system, and the notable cleanliness and lack of waste. And while I didn't return home with a check list of ways my hometown or yours can apply the successes I saw in Japan, these observations can help us think through our communities' choices and paths forward.

Guest Post by Tacy Lambiase, Director of Climate Solutions

Just in time for the holiday season, we’re welcoming a new addition to our family. (And no, before you ask, it’s not a baby or a puppy. But it IS something we worked to acquire over the course of about nine months and we are thrilled to see it come to life!) Please put your hands together for…our shiny new heat pump! 

Caption: Our heat pump is a heating and cooling system in one, and it looks very similar to our previous air conditioning unit. What a beauty! 

When my husband and I bought our house more than two years ago, we knew we wanted to eventually electrify everything. We purposefully looked for a house with an electric stovetop to avoid toxic indoor air pollution and existing ductwork that would make it easier to transition heating and cooling systems from natural gas to electricity. After we moved in, we didn’t have a specific timeframe in mind for when we were going to make the switch from our aging gas furnace to an electric heat pump. We simply (and in hindsight, somewhat naively) put “heat pump” on our home improvement wish list and figured we’d get to it down the road.  

As we’ve learned as first-time homeowners, however: You cannot control when things break. So, here’s how we knew it was time to say goodbye to gas.  

Guest post by Carley Petrone, KLA's Climate Analysis Manager

In today’s world, climate change is reshaping the realities that we once held true. With events like Hurricane Helene that devastated Western North Carolina, the deadliest U.S. hurricane since Katrina, the notion of a “climate haven” is proving to be increasingly uncertain.

In one week, Helene dumped 40 trillion gallons of water across the Southeast —or enough rainwater to fill 60 million Olympic-size swimming pools. Unfortunately, this event is not expected to be a one-time occurrence. With climate change, scientists expect storms to become more frequent and intense as rising ocean temperatures fuel stronger winds and warmer air holds more moisture, leading to heavier rainfall and increased flooding. 

The economic toll of natural disasters tells the same story. In 2022 alone, the cost of natural disasters exceeded $360 billion across the globe, including more than 40 weather events causing over $1 billion in damage. These numbers reiterate the urgent need for every community, regardless of geography, to invest in resilience and adaptation measures. Side note: Generally speaking, resilience indicates the ability to prepare for, recover from, and adapt to climate impacts and adaptation is described as “adjustments to how we live, work, and play to keep us safe from the impacts of climate change.” They are sometimes used interchangeably though there are distinct differences. For purposes of this article, we’re talking broader climate resilience.

The good news: every $1 invested in resilience and disaster preparedness saves $13 in economic impact, damage, and cleanup costs after the event, according to the Climate Resiliency Report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Allstate, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Bottom line is it’s a smart investment whether you’re staring down more hurricanes, flooding, or extreme heat.  

At KLA is fresh off two conferences: the American Public Works Association (APWA) PWX Conference and the New England Chapter of APWA (NEAPWA) Conference. Speaking to an audience of public works professionals at both events, we joined our partners on panels to discuss public works’ ongoing role in climate action implementation and how to embrace collaborative approaches that integrate sustainability considerations across all local government operations.  

We've shared some broad brushstrokes from those presentations here, the focal point of both being our Climate Action Framework -- a tool that can help make your climate, sustainability and resilience plans stick. 

At KLA we're on a mission to elevate local climate action to match the urgency of the climate crisis. For us, the last few days have only sharpened that focus. 

We're coming off Climate Week in NYC, under the banner of "It's Time." We could not agree more and echo what we heard in the opening remarks: "It’s Time to think about the crucial decisions and action we need to start taking right now."

Hurricane Helene and other storms then underscored that urgency with a path of destruction across the South, devastating mountain communities in Western North Carolina hundreds of miles from any coast. No place is immune to extreme weather exacerbated by climate change. 

Guest post by Annabel Coplan, KLA's Summer 2024 Climate Analysis Intern.  

This summer, I was a Climate Analysis Intern at KLA as part of my studies at Boston University focusing on Environmental Analysis and Policy.  An area that my internship touched on that I found both interesting and so relevant to my work and our world is the notion of social vulnerability. I wanted to share a bit about what that is, how it's measured, and why it's a critical piece of climate action and resilience planning. 

Guest post by Theresa Acheampong, KLA's Summer 2024 Climate Storytelling Intern. 

My summer at KLA has exposed me to key elements that make a product successful on all ends through understanding user behavior.  

One of the most interesting aspects of this internship was gaining a deeper understanding of how to think about the end-user. For example, a study revealed that 57% of viewing time for users was primarily at the top part of the webpage, known as the “fold”. Another study found that on average, it takes 50 milliseconds for users to process and assess the visual appeal of a website. These studies, among others, highlight the importance of how KLA thinks about implementations to the Dashboard and Dashboard services.   

Through my daily tasks and research, I learned so much about the importance of viewing a product from the end-user's perspective. Here are three of the many ways I’ve learned to think about the end-user through my internship with KLA:   
 

Each summer, KLA works with MassCEC’s Clean Energy Internship program to connect with passionate, committed, and mission-driven students from across Massachusetts, our home base. The KLA Summer Internship helps connect a broad range of students to the local climate action process and brings fresh perspectives to our work fighting the climate crisis one local government at a time.  

For local governments, climate action plans need to do more than just outline a path to emissions reductions. A strong climate action plan not only properly analyzes current conditions to create a feasible path forward, it galvanizes support and incentivizes the necessary action from residents and local businesses to reduce climate impacts and support resiliency.