Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on the Built Environment under NEPA and State EIA Laws: A Survey of Current Practices and Recommendations for Model Protocols

Climate change and its effects on temperature, precipitation, storm patterns, sea level rise, and other environmental processes have important implications for the construction, maintenance, and operation of buildings and infrastructure. One way to prepare for these impacts is to incorporate climate change projections into the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of proposed development and infrastructure projects. However, the scope and depth of this analysis vary substantially across different agencies and projects, and it is still very rare for an agency to conduct an in-depth assessment of how climate change may impact a project and its surrounding environment. More specific guidelines or protocols would help to promote consistency in agency practice and ensure that agencies are adequately accounting for the impacts of climate change when conducting environmental reviews. The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law has therefore developed a set of model protocols for assessing the impacts of climate change on the built environment under NEPA and state EIA laws. This paper summarizes the empirical and legal research underpinning this project.