C2ES recently headed to Anchorage, Alaska, for a two-day Solutions Forum workshop to help Mayor Ethan Berkowitz launch an effort to make the city more climate resilient.

While many cities have undertaken resilience efforts, Anchorage is integrating the corporate community into its efforts as few others have done. About 50 business leaders, city, state, federal and tribal officials, nonprofit organizations, and other experts shared their experiences addressing climate change impacts and enhancing resilience.

Alaska is on the front lines of climate change. Businesses, cities, and Alaska Native communities are all experiencing the impacts. Alaska has warmed at more than twice the rate of the rest of the United States, and Anchorage experienced its two warmest years on record in 2014 and 2015. The region has also seen less snow than normal, with 2015 snowfall totaling about half the average.

These changes have already affected winter recreation activities, important to the economy and also the spirit of a city that prides itself of having fun in the cold. This year, a trainload of snow had to be dumped on Anchorage’s streets for the ceremonial start of the iconic Iditarod sled dog race.

More frequent icing conditions and low visibility caused by warming are affecting aviation—an important mode of transportation in a state where more than 80 percent of the communities are not served by roads. Warming temperatures have also contributed to earlier snowmelt, which can lead to a month-longer fire season.

Anchorage is no stranger to preparing for extreme events. Because of Anchorage’s experience with disasters, from earthquakes to wind storms, many aspects of the city are well prepared with existing planning structures, coordination efforts, and ongoing tracking in place.

The private sector also is keenly aware of how external events can affect their employees, customers, and community. Companies’ experience with risk management and emergency management plans and drills can be coordinated with city and state agencies to build and maintain local resilience.

Workshop participants worked through the Disaster Resilience Scorecard, a tool developed by IBM and AECOM and used around the world. The scorecard helps cities establish a baseline of their current level of disaster resilience, identify priorities for investment and action, and track their progress in improving their disaster resilience over time.

Now that Anchorage has developed this baseline, C2ES will continue to work with stakeholders to explore these insights and questions that follow to helping businesses, states, and cities in Anchorage and beyond collaborate on climate resilience.