Urban areas

The unique characteristics of Southwest cities will shape both the ways they will be impacted by climate change and the ways the urban areas will adapt to the change. The Southwest represents a good portion of the arid and semi-arid region of North America and many of its cities rely on large-scale, federally built water storage and conveyance structures. Water regimes in this part of the country are expected to be significantly impacted by climate change because of higher temperatures, reduced snowpack, and other factors, including possibly reduced or more unpredictable patterns of precipitation, which will affect cities and their water supplies. Further, the cities are likely to experience greater numbers of high-temperature days, creating vulnerabilities among populations who lack air conditioning or access to cooling shelters. Myriad and overlapping governmental organizations are responsible for public goods and services in the region, as in other parts of the country. Their jurisdictions generally do not correspond to ecosystem or watershed boundaries, creating mismatches for climate adaptation programs and policies and significant barriers to cooperation and collaboration. Finally, many local governments are facing budget constraints, making it difficult to plan and implement new programs to anticipate the potential impacts of climate change.