Climate Resilience

Tree planting in Durham

Durham faces increasingly severe impacts from weather- and climate-related threats, as well as from stressors unrelated to climate, such as rapid population growth, continued development, and shifts in economic and demographic trends.

Durham is already experiencing these effects and is expected to experience increased vulnerability & risk in these key areas:

Impact of flooding on properties & road access
Impact of minor flooding on all infrastructure
Impact of water shortage on water supply
Impact of extreme heat on residents
Impact of wildfire on residential properties

Woman holding water jug

Climate Impacts on Health

Durham was the first county in North Carolina to include a chapter on climate change and public health in its Community Health Assessment and continues to recognize the severe public health issues related to climate change, reflected in revisions of the Assessment. The most updated 2023 Community Health Assessment is now available to the public. Please navigate to Chapter 11: Environmental Health & Climate Change (page 226) and see the three sections recognizing the top severe public health issues related to climate change, included below:

Please also visit our pages on the public health effects in Durham of these top climate risks:

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Excessive Precipitation

Climate change is expected to increase both the amount and frequency of extreme rainstorms in Durham.

Extreme Heat

Climate change is bringing more days (and nights) with extremely high temperatures.

Wildfires

Wildfires pose a significant risk to human health due to the fire itself causing injury as well as smoke affecting respiratory health.

To learn more about resilience in the Triangle Region of North Carolina (Durham, Orange, and Wake counties), please see the Triangle Regional Resilience Assessment.

Triangle Regional Resilience Assessment heat vulnerability & risk map