Assessment
Over the past year and since the launch of the ResilientMass Plan, state agencies have been advancing many priority actions to build statewide capacity for climate change adaptation and resilience. An unprecedented infusion of climate resilience funding from the Healey-Driscoll Administration is enabling state agencies to scale their programmatic efforts and support and implement high-impact projects. This includes more than $52 million in 2024 for Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ (EEA) flagship Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program and more than $43 million across state agencies to advance state agency-led ResilientMass Plan actions, including $18M to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to fund resilience improvements in state-aided public housing authorities. EEA’s new Office of Climate Science is providing valuable climate resilience technical assistance, guidance, and data for communities and the public. While the Commonwealth is making meaningful investments at the state level to protect residents, businesses, and the environment from the impacts of climate change, much more needs to be done, from funding projects and developing regionalized strategies to building a workforce with climate resilience-informed skills. Agencies, communities and organizations remain committed to meeting the moment and developing innovative approaches.
| Metric | 2023 Report Value | 2024 Report Value | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amount of federal and state resilience funding[1] | State resilience-related funding:
Federal resilience-related funding:
| State resilience-related funding:
Federal resilience-related funding:
| As part of the development of ResilientMass Metrics, more specific targets related to resilience measures will be developed. |
| Number of communities with updated (MVP) 2.0 or Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMPs) | MVP 2.0: 33 municipalities (10%) and 1 Tribe are updating their MVP plans in the 2023 pilot round of the 2.0 program; this includes one 4-community regional project. 349 (99%) of communities completed MVP 1.0 plans by 2023 Hazard Mitigation Plans: 211 (60%) communities with FEMA approved hazard mitigation plans (updated on a rolling basis in five-year intervals) | MVP 2.0: 33 municipalities (10%) and 1 Tribe are updating their MVP plans in the 2023 pilot round of the 2.0 program; 30 additional communities are expected to undertake the MVP 2.0 program starting in early 2025. 349 (99%) of communities completed MVP 1.0 plans by 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plans: 196 (56%) communities with FEMA approved hazard mitigation plans at the end of FY24 (updated on a rolling basis in five-year intervals) | Incorporate lessons learned from pilot into MVP 2.0 and have 100% of communities and Regional Planning Agencies participating in MVP 2.0 and/or having updated Hazard Mitigation Plans by 2030. |
| Percent of 2023 ResilientMass Plan actions in progress or complete | 69% of 2023 ResilientMass Plan actions are either in progress or in development (preparing for implementation)
| 82% of 2023 ResilientMass Plan actions are either in progress or in development (preparing for implementation)
8% of ResilientMass Plan actions have been completed (within the first year of the plan)
| 100% of 2023 ResilientMass Plan actions should be in progress by 2026. Completion target to be determined as part of ResilientMass Metrics process. |
| Percent tree canopy cover within developed areas | New in 2024 Report Card | 46%: satellite imagery % of foliage in developed areas (2021 data; update in process)[2] | To be determined as part of ResilientMass Metrics process |
| Percent of population with public outdoor recreation opportunities for cooling within half mile of home | New in 2024 Report Card | 69.1% of population living within half mile of Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) pools, splashpads, swimming areas, or publicly accessible Conservation-based Open Space[3] | To be determined as part of ResilientMass Metrics process |
| Acres of drinking water supply watersheds protected through state programs | New in 2024 Report Card | 138,338 acres under DCR Division of Water Supply Protection control (active and emergency systems; includes reservoirs) | To be determined as part of ResilientMass Metrics process |
| Amount of funding for climate resilient food distribution systems | New in 2024 Report Card | >$27 million in FY25 (MDAR’s Food Security Infrastructure and MVP Action grants) | To be determined as part of ResilientMass Metrics process |
| % of state-aided housing developments identified as highly vulnerable to multiple climate hazards that have received climate resilience funding | New in 2024 Report Card | Through Housing and Livable Communities, 23 of 180 (13%) of state-aided housing developments that are highly vulnerable to multiple climate hazards have received climate resilience funding Through Housing and Livable Communities, 16 of 45 (36%) of developments vulnerable that are highly vulnerable to sea level rise and storm surge in addition to other hazards have received climate resilience funding[4] | To be determined as part of ResilientMass Metrics process |
| Amount of capital funds for MBTA projects with resilience benefits | New in 2024 Report Card | >$1.8 million to 135 projects | To be determined as part of ResilientMass Metrics process |
[1] The ResilientMass actions were recategorized from 2023 to 2024, resulting in a change in the numbers of cross-governmental and state agency-led actions; the total number of actions remains the same.
[2] Average of 2021 NLCD Tree Canopy Cover % in 2021 LCMAP Developed areas
[3] GIS analysis
[4] This only includes grants from Housing and Livable Communities. Grants from other programs have not yet been tabulated.
* This figure includes Capital Investment Plan budgets for resilience-specific programs such as Critical Coastal Infrastructure and Resilience Grants, Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness, ResilientMass Implementation Funding, and Inland Dams and Seawalls. It also includes programs with resilience benefits that focus on cranberry bog restoration, land use planning, water management, and other related programs. The definition of resilience-related programs may be revised over time.
Challenges
- Extreme weather exacerbated by climate change is already causing catastrophic economic, social, and environmental losses. Flooding, extreme heat, wildfires, and other extreme weather events affected numerous parts of the state in 2024.
- Downscaling climate projections to an actionable, local scale is difficult and comes with inherent uncertainty that must be accounted for and understood by data users.
- Environmental Justice (EJ) communities continue to be most affected by climate change and require resources to grow meaningful government-community relationships and build resilience.
- Communities need to develop social infrastructure through formal and informal institutions to respond to challenging events. This requires buy-in and trust across residents, private businesses, non-profits, and governments.
- Workforce capacity throughout the state for implementing resilience projects remains constrained, with needs for more trained workers with diverse skillsets.
How we are meeting the moment
- The EEA Climate Team awarded $52.4 million in August 2024 through the MVP Action Grant program for local and regional priority projects that help communities adapt to climate change. This is the most funding ever awarded through the program. The EEA Climate Team improved funding access by encouraging more multi-year awards and removing match requirements for communities affected by recent flooding events with high financial need.
- More than 30 communities continue to participate in the MVP Planning 2.0 pilot focused on building skills in climate justice and equity and moving cities and towns more quickly from planning to action. The EEA Climate Team is collecting feedback from the pilot and will launch the first formal round of the MVP Planning 2.0 with approximately 30 more communities in early 2025.
- EEA, the Governor’s Office of Climate Innovation and Resilience, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), and Executive Office of Administration & Finance (A&F) launched the ResilientMass Finance and Investment Strategy to identify new and sustainable options for funding climate resilience projects. The initiative will estimate statewide costs to advance key resiliency measures and recommend new finance mechanisms to help meet the scale of investment. The study will be released in spring 2025.
- EEA Climate Team’s new Office of Climate Science (OCS) is providing technical assistance to state and local partners to increase access to and understanding of statewide climate change projections and trends. OCS has convened a Climate Science Advisory Panel of academics and researchers to share the latest climate research findings, identify research and data gaps, and inform best practices. OCS is also supporting the development of a new statewide inland future flood model in collaboration with the Massachusetts Water Resource Commission and USGS.
- EEA, in partnership with Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is developing statewide resilience metrics to measure and evaluate progress in implementing the ResilientMass Plan. The metrics—a subset of which are included in this report card—will assess progress toward building environmental, social, physical, and economic resilience to climate change, with a focus on advancing environmental justice and equity. State agencies, an Equity Advisory Group, stakeholders, and the public have contributed to the development of the metrics, which will be released in early 2025.
- EEA collaborated with the City of Boston on its successful $9.8 million application to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to create the Greater Boston Coastal Resilience Jobs Alliance. This innovative program will train approximately 800 workers in climate resilience-informed skillsets and place them in good jobs with private and public sector employers including the DCR. This initiative can serve as a blueprint for developing the climate resilience workforce in other regions of Massachusetts.
- The ResilientCoasts initiative launched in late 2023 is developing a comprehensive statewide framework for policy and planning in partnership with coastal municipalities and stakeholders. ResilientCoasts will provide guidance on suitable near and long-term resilience strategies, including regulation, permitting, policy, and financing needs and opportunities, along different areas of the coastline.
- EEA worked with A&F to integrate and expand climate resilience criteria in the annual statewide capital planning process.
- MassDOT released a Highway Resilience Improvement Plan (RIP) in June 2024 to incorporate and enhance resilience to extreme weather events into project development stages for both immediate and long-range planning activities.
- With support from the Barr Foundation and guidance from EEA, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and Pioneer Valley Planning Commission are developing a Resilience Playbook to assist communities with projects, policies, and programs that advance social and environmental resilience for release in spring 2025.
- The Department of Public Utilities initiated an investigation into the service quality standards provided by electric distribution companies (EDCs) to assess and establish resiliency performance metrics to ensure greater transparency and accountability during extreme weather events and provide a clearer understanding of how climate change impacts grid infrastructure.