In 2020, Connecticut undertook a statewide engagement process via the Governor’s Council on Climate Change (GC3) to develop priorities for climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially from an equity approach. A priority action from the GC3 process called for grants to fund participation by community-based organizations and nongovernmental organizations to increase representation from communities that have been marginalized. This is similar to efforts from other states and the federal government to direct funds to historically excluded groups to redress inequities or to financially support their participation and sharing of their expertise in these processes. While the programs have the intent to address inequity, often the grantmaking mechanisms can make it harder for marginalized groups to participate in the grant process, nullifying the grant’s intent. This review of environmental justice and climate justice grant programs offers insight to grantmakers on embedding equity into the grant process and, ideally, achieving their intent.

The vulnerability framework developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines vulnerability as a function of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Building off this framework, the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) developed a Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) for the state of Connecticut, designed to integrate flood and extreme heat-related climate exposure with impacted socioeconomic, infrastructure, and ecological variables into a single comprehensive index that can guide resilience planning and prioritization at multiple levels. The index serves as a central component of the Resilient Connecticut project, a statewide initiative to advance climate adaptation and resilience planning through data-driven tools, community engagement, and strategies to address flood and heat risks across vulnerable communities. In this article, we detail the development of the CCVI, including earlier iterations, methodology, stakeholder engagement activities, and lessons learned that can impact resiliency planning in Connecticut. Preliminary statistical analyses, notable regional trends, data limitations, and future areas for research advancement are also discussed. The CCVI framework detailed here can be used in the process of identifying priority areas for intervention and supporting the selection and design of targeted resilience projects, and can also be adapted for other states.

The social and environmental impacts of the modern industrial food system are ample reason to explore alternative scenarios. A New England Food Vision calls for building a resilient food system at the regional scale, with the goal of providing 50% of New England's food from within the region by the year 2060. Land access is a substantial challenge for aspiring farmers, particularly those from socially marginalized groups. Leasing farmland is less expensive than purchasing it outright, although not without its challenges. Institutionally owned land-properties owned by government entities, nonprofit organizations, educational organizations, religious organizations, or healthcare organizations-may be especially suitable for leasing to aspiring farmers due to their secure tenure and reduced development pressure. This site suitability analysis identifies institutionally owned lands in Windham County, Connecticut, excludes areas containing ecological or practical constraints, and assesses the new farmland acreage and food production that might be generated if these lands were converted to agricultural cultivation. Leasing the resulting lands to farmers would increase the agricultural acreage within the county by almost 19%. The majority of the land identified was owned either by state or municipal government entities, so farmer advocate organizations seeking to promote leasing arrangements should tailor their resources to this type of land ownership and audience.

Authors and AffiliationsCIRCA Project Team: Dr. Yaprak Onat – Associate Director of Research and Project Principal Investigator Dr. Mary Buchanan – Commu ...

While multiple federal screening tools have previously been developed for mapping communities facing environmental injustice and health disparities, many states across the United States have seen value in developing state-specific screening tools. This article provides an overview of a recent addition to the list of state screening tools, the Connecticut Environmental Justice Screening Tool (CT EJScreen). CT EJScreen identifies communities disproportionately affected by environmental and socioeconomic burdens at the census tract level. The tool integrates geospatial data on potential pollution sources, exposures, health sensitivities, and socioeconomic factors to produce a cumulative Environmental Justice Index. This article describes the development process of the tool, its methodological framework, the multi-pronged public engagement during the development process, preliminary correlation analyses, lessons learned, and recommendations for future iterations. Spearman correlation and Principal Component Analysis were applied to assess variable relationships and guide indicator refinement. Stakeholder engagement with Connecticut’s environmental justice communities ensured that the tool reflects both quantitative data and lived experiences. CT EJScreen provides important information for policy implementation covering areas such as funding, public health issues, and permitting. The CT EJScreen process might serve as a useful template for other states looking to devise state-specific adjunct screening systems.