Climate Initiatives and Community Resiliency

Iowans face environmental burdens that impact our daily lives. From public health and agriculture, to increasing stress on our economy and environment, the impacts of climate change are happening now, they’re happening here in Iowa, and they are intensifying. However, these burdens are not felt equally amongst us. 

Through this work, IEC has targeted 9 communities where our efforts are being focused. These include Sioux City, Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Ottumwa, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Waterloo, Dubuque, and Davenport. The environmental and public health conditions in these areas, as well as throughout the state, can be found on our Climate Change and Environmental Health in Iowa map.

IEC recognizes that communities that are the hardest hit by the impacts of climate change and pollution may also have the least amount of capacity to respond to them. We work to connect Iowa communities with the financial and technical assistance resources they need to invest in climate-resilient infrastructure and reduce pollution. This is complemented by our legislative priorities in advising local and state agencies to plan for and respond to natural disasters as they become more frequent. 

The Iowa Environmental Council advocates for the fair treatment and involvement of Iowans in areas such as:

• Energy cost burdens
• Pollution and air quality
• Flood concerns and extreme weather events
• Agricultural loss

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  Heartland Environmental Justice Center

  EPA Region 7's Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (TCTAC) is the Heartland Environmental Justice Center (HEJC). IEC serves as a partner organization to stretch the HEJC's outreach to Iowa communities.

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  Climate Change and Environmental Health Map

  View IEC's web map featuring data from CEJST and EJ Screen, as well as a user guide with tips on how to use the map and a codebook with definitions and full names of each layer by source and category.

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