Geographical Thinking: E100 – Climate Action with a Sunny Outlook
In this episode of Geographical Thinking, host Michelle Brake is joined by Sunny Fleming, director of Environment, Conservation & Natural Resources Solutions at Esri, to explore the crucial role of GIS in shaping effective and resilient climate action plans.
Drawing on personal experiences with extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Helene, and professional insights gained through years of working with environmental data, Sunny shares how spatial thinking and GIS technology are transforming the way communities respond to climate change.
Together, Michelle and Sunny unpack the concept of climate havens, discuss the common gaps in existing climate plans and highlight how geospatial tools can bridge those gaps with real-time data, predictive modelling and community-driven insights. They also explore the evolving role of technologies like GeoAI in supporting long-term climate adaptation and mitigation strategies.
Whether you're part of a government agency, organization or simply a curious individual, this conversation offers valuable advice on how to begin integrating GIS into climate action planning. Tune in to learn how mapping the right data can help us all prepare for an uncertain future—and take meaningful action today.
0:00 – Episode Summary
0:38 – Intros
2:50 – Personal Climate Intersections
5:50 – Hurricane Helene
15:12 – Passion for Climate Action
19:16 – Climate Havens
23:36 – Gaps in Climate Action Plans
30:20 – Getting Technology Involve
39:04 – Localizing
41:09 – Getting Started
44:26 – Outro
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Looking for resources on what we discussed in today’s podcast? Check them out below!
Hurricane Helene Shines a Light on How GIS Can Improve Climate Action Plans: In this blog post, Sunny Fleming explores how the real-world impact of Hurricane Helene highlights the urgent need for GIS-integrated climate action plans that are data-driven, adaptable and community-informed.
Esri Climate Action Overview: Explore how Esri's GIS technology empowers organizations to understand climate risks, model future scenarios and implement location-based solutions for effective climate adaptation and resilience.
GIS for Climate Action MOOC: This course teaches you how to use GIS to contribute to climate action strategies, from identifying climate risks to implementing resilience-focused spatial analysis.
ArcGIS Climate Resource Hub: A centralized hub offering tools, maps, case studies and resources that help communities use GIS to assess climate risks and build actionable climate resilience plans.
Esri Canada Climate Hub: Explore how GIS supports climate resilience across Canada through localized data, project spotlights and tools tailored to Canadian communities and policymakers.