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Climate Change in Connecticut

This module presents an overview of climate change in Connecticut, highlighting impacts that are already or projected to occur in our state.

Overview

Climate change impacts the social, economic, and environmental well-being of Connecticut. Understanding climate change and being able to recognize its impacts is the first step in protecting our citizens and communities for generations to come.

Objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  1. Explain climate change and what is happening,
  2. Identify current and projected trends related to climate change,
  3. Describe local impacts of climate change and how to incorporate climate action into land use plans and decisions.

Video Time: 12 minutes, 40 seconds   Audio: required

 

Image Sources and Citations

Presenter Bios

Bruce Hyde: Land Use Educator/ Land Use Academy Director/ Climate Corps Co-Director

Bruce Hyde is a Land Use Educator with the University of Connecticut and responsible for coordinating the CLEAR Land Use Academy which provides training for local land use commissioners. Through the Climate Adaptation Academy, in partnership with CT Sea Grant, he coordinates training, workshops and educational outreach to assist communities with the challenges of climate change adaptation.

He co-founded the UConn Climate Corps, an undergraduate classroom and service-learning opportunity that consists of a 3-credit course (Fall semester) on the local impacts of climate change, followed by a 3-credit independent study (Spring semester) during which students work with Extension faculty to assist Connecticut communities in adapting to climate change.

He received a BS in Economics from Lehigh University and a MS in the Economics of Natural Resource Planning from the University of Vermont. Mr. Hyde is an AICP certified planner with over 30 years’ experience in municipal planning and economic development in Vermont and Connecticut.

 

Christine Nelson has been the Director of Land Use for Old Saybrook since October 1999, during which time she updated the Town's Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan to more thoroughly address community resilience to the changing conditions of climate and sea level (2014). She is proud of being a part of meeting the Governor's goal of 21% of the town set-aside as open space (2015). Nelson represented municipal interests on the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Property Tax Burdens & Smart Growth Incentives (2004), the Governor’s Task Force on Responsible Growth (2008), as well as the Governor's appointee to the CT-DEEP's Blue Plan Advisory Committee to conserve areas of significant human use in development goals for Connecticut's blue economy (2016). She currently serves on the State Historic Preservation Board (2018). In 2020, she was instrumental in bringing the Old Saybrook from bronze to silver certification as a Sustainable CT Community.