With sea levels rising and severe storms happening more frequently, coastal communities are on the front lines of climate change. Planning for these impacts involves making complex, difficult decisions with limited resources. It also involves two things that make many of us uncomfortable— uncertainty and compromise. The New England Climate Adaptation Project, a 2012 Collaborative Research project led by the New England reserves, tested the use of role-play simulations, or “games, ” to help community members come together to discuss and catalyze action around managing climate change risks in four New England communities.

These risk assessments present how the climate could change in these four communities over the 21st century, and outline the towns' key climate change risks as well as possible adaptation options to address these risks. These assessments were developed with the primary objective of providing targeted content for a role-play simulation exercise for town residents.