Municipal Climate Change Vulnerability Indicators Tool

The Municipal Vulnerability Indicators Tool (MVI) is a mapping tool to help municipalities understand their vulnerabilities to climate change across several social, economic, and environmental factors. The MVI can help Vermont communities identify where climate change is placing pressure on transportation, electrical grid, housing, emergency services, communications infrastructure, and more. It can inform towns’ hazard mitigation plans, local energy plans, or other climate-related efforts. It includes both climate hazard data (for hazards where mapping is feasible), and community characteristics that could indicate vulnerability to climate hazards.

The tool consists of 48 factors of climate vulnerability across six domains:

Domains: Infrastructure, Community, Built Environment, Social, Natural Environment, Economy & Jobs

It also includes information on 13 climate hazards:

Drought, Extreme Precipitation, Erosion, Ice Hail and Snow Storms, High and Low Temperatures, Wind, Wildfire, Landslides, Flooding, Invasive Species

Additional Resources

Learn how to use the MVI Tool

More MVI Training Materials coming soon!

Learn how the MVI Tool was developed

The MVI was developed by the Agency of Natural Resources in partnership with the Vermont Climate Council to support planning and decision-making about climate change action. Special thanks to the MVI Task Group, who gave significant time and expertise to this project, and to Vermonters who participated in interviews, focus groups, and public engagement events. The Task Group included members of Vermont Climate Council’s Rural Resilience and Adaptation Subcommittee, Science and Data Subcommittee, and Just Transitions Subcommittee, as well as staff of the Agency of Transportation, Vermont Emergency Management, the Department of Health, and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development.