This Caribbean nation is preparing for the ravages of climate change by selling citizenship

Flood-prone cities in the United States are turning to stormwater utility projects that charge landowners based on the amount of impervious surface on their property. The money earned from the fees is used to build green infrastructure that allows rainwater to seep into the ground instead of overwhelming storm drains and sewage systems.

Two-thirds of California’s farms are considered small, cultivating less than 50 acres, and they play a critical role in food security and climate resilience for the whole country. As climate change makes extreme weather more unpredictable, these farms have to rely on government disaster relief and crop insurance to get back on their feet.

Officials from Woodbridge Township in New Jersey bought and demolished almost 200 homes to create a flood-absorbing restoration area after Superstorm Sandy. The program assigns each homeowner a case manager to help them through the process from the appraisal to moving. Much of the area is now wetlands, which act as a natural sponge to prevent flooding.

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development offers funding for affordable housing properties to retrofit their buildings to be more resilient to climate change and improve resident’s quality of life. The funding ensures the properties remain as affordable housing because these upgrades typically reduce bills and because property owners must agree to keep rent affordable for 25 years.

Following the 2025 Texas Hill Country flood that killed 139 people, state lawmakers passed four bills and allocated $74 million to expand flood-warning infrastructure across 30 counties; when historic flooding struck the same region a year later, only three people died.

In Spain, Higueruela transformed wind farm revenues into municipal investments—funding schools, transportation, senior care, and local jobs—which stabilized the town's declining population and created a sustainable economic model that now provides 40% of its annual budget. A key success factor includes allowing the community to negotiate and reject projects that don't serve local interests.

In response to recurring glacial flooding outbursts, Juneau has implemented an early warning dashboard, $8 million temporary flood barriers, and ongoing scientific research. The solutions are too new to demonstrate measurable flood damage reduction, but increased community participation in preparedness activities is one promising impact.

As flood risk and severity increase, homeowners are lifting their houses to avoid catastrophic damage. Hydraulic lifts raise the structure several feet up in the air, though it’s an expensive process, costing $75 to $200 per square foot. For some eligible families, low-interest disaster loans from FEMA are available to cover 75-100% of the costs. The organization has already raised nearly 22,000 homes nationwide since 1999.

Federal Emergency Management Agency employees are knocking on doors across Vermont to demystify the financial assistance process and help people impacted by flooding apply.

Farmers in Uttar Pradesh, India, are using an age-old farming practice known as flood recession farming, which involves planting crops in floodplains when water recedes, to grow crops with less water during droughts.