Access the Individual Climate Adaptation Report Card Here.

Access the Full Climate Adaptation Report Card Here.

BACKGROUND: 

A Climate Adaptation Report Card is a tool for measuring the condition of our surrounding natural environment (ecosys­tems). Healthy ecosystems, such as healthy forests, wetlands, and shorelines, protect us by helping us adapt to the effects of climate change. A Climate Adaptation Report Card at the county, individual, or community level provides a snapshot of current progress and allows us to track improvement over time.

Adapting to the ever-increasing threats of climate change is essential to Charles County, and many initiatives are focused on just that. This report card assessment measures the resilience already reached through these efforts and provides recommendations to help prioritize actions that will build resilience into the future.

PROJECT TIMELINE:

• March 2023: The Resilience Authority of Charles County voted to move forward with the creation of a Climate Adaptation Report Card.
• June 2023: Project Kickoff.
• Dec 13, 2023: Stakeholder workshop held at the Velocity Center to determine which of the proposed indicators would be most important to Charles County residents.
• February 22, 2024: Two online stakeholder meetings held to finalize the list of indicators: one at 3pm and one at 6pm.
• April 2025: Report Card completed.
• May 6, 2025: Report Card findings presented to Board of County Commissioners.
• June 13, 2025: Climate Adaptation Report Card launched to the public at Regency Furniture Stadium.

QUICK FACTS: 

Charles County received a score of a B-, which means that the County is working towards resil­ience, but there is still much work to be done to ensure that we are resilient to climate hazards.

Charles County is par­ticularly vulnerable to riverine flooding, and flood frequency is increasing with climate change. Extreme tem­peratures and extreme weather (storms, hurricanes, and tornados) are also threats.

Charles County is the first coun­ty in the country, and first in the world, to look at both vulnerability and resilience together in a Report Card.

This Climate Adaptation Report Card was funded by the Resilience Authority of Charles County, MD, Incorporated. Report card development was led by the Integration and Application Network of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES). It was developed with project management support from the Office of Climate Resilience and Sustainability in the Planning and Growth Management Department of Charles County Government.

Interested in learning how you would score regarding climate readiness and sustainability actions? Score yourself, your organization, or your community using the Individual Climate Adaptation Report Card linked above.