Resilient Sacramento

Climate Mitigation and Adaptation News
March 5, 2014
A biweekly newsletter of the Sacramento Regional Adaptation Collaborative.

News
Legislature passes $687.4 million drought relief bill
The legislation will speed up $549 million from voter-approved bonds for local governments for water conservation and clean drinking-water projects. Towns and cities that are running out of water would get $15 million in emergency funds. It also includes $46.3 million from the general fund for food and housing assistance for families affected by the drought and $40 million from Cap and Trade to increase the efficiency of water use, irrigation, and pumping. Critics say that it does not address the need for long-term storage, nor does it place amoratorium on oil and gas drilling, which uses vast amounts of water. (SJMN)(SacBee)
Found in the Central Valley and other arid soils in the Southwest, the soil fungus Coccidioides can be inhaled when dust is scattered during the dry season. Incidence of Valley Fever has increased 10 times between 1998 and 2011, and its geographical spread is shifting north. Drought is likely increasing dust storms. (USA Today)

The recommendations focus on 1) property and crop insurance; 2) federal disaster aid; 3) federally owned or managed infrastructure; and 4) technical assistance to state and local governments. The technical assistance would apply to infrastructure projects that are planned at the state and local levels but have significant federal funding.

 

GAO has 3 specific recommendations to enhance state and local infrastructure: 1) improving access to and use of available climate-related information; 2) providing officials with improved access to local assistance; and 3) helping officials consider climate change in their planning processes. (GAO)

A re-insurance group found that 41 out of 261 weather-related events caused over $1 billion in damage each. Flooding accounted for many of the disasters, as well as the costliest. Global losses, however, were below average, due to a combination of steadily improving early-warning systems and the absence of a mega-event, partly due to a quiet Atlantic hurricane season (Haiyan was devastating on a human scale, but the islands afflicted are comparatively lacking in infrastructure and assets). The biggest drivers of loss are population. Urban sprawl and population growth in especially risky areas such as flood zones, tornado alleys, and coastal areas will drive up loss. (Climate Central)

Case Studies and Examples

The resiliency plan includes municipal grants to protect energy and electricity systems, and provide protection from floods and sea level rise. It also calls upon the state to assess and develop adaptation plans for transportation infrastructure, while public health will study drinking water infrastructure and the spread of disease. The proposed bill would allow the state to provide grants for regional organizations to develop plans to address climate change, and create a coastal buy-back program to authorize the state to acquire properties located in flood plains or tidal zones, or contain structures damaged by weather.(Boston Globe, South Coast Today, Mass Live)

The Institute for Sustainable Communities' Vermont's Roadmap to Resilience focuses on 4 over-arching themes, with 23 specific recommendations, such as providing guidance and incentives for investment, drafting model flood resiliency bylaws, and creating adaptation pilot areas. EPA and FEMA's Disaster Relief and Long-Term Resilience Planning in Vermont report focuses on flood resilience for river valley communities, with recommendations on zoning, land use planning, and HMPs.  
Resources and Tools

EPA National Stormwater Calculator and Climate Assessment Tool now includes climate vulnerability scenarios

This tool estimates annual amount of stormwater runoff for specific U.S. locations. The updated calculator takes into account IPCC climate scenarios, thus incorporating changes in precipitation, more frequent high-intensity storms, and evaporation rates into the calculation of stormwater runoff. Users can learn also the effect of green infrastructure. (EPA)

Interactive carbon-footprint map by zip code can help tailor GHG reduction strategies

The map calculates the GHG emissions of transportation, housing, food, goods, and services,  to help cities understand their primary drivers of emissions and thus identify high-priority actions. The key is to provide information for local governments on their key emissions drivers so they can identify tailored, high-potential actions.  (Interactive map, Energy Collective)

Cool California Accepting Applications

Cool California will be accepting applications for a new round in February. Each city will create its own, targeted strategy to reduce barriers and increase resident engagement in climate action.

Upcoming Events and Event Summaries
California Adaptation Forum - August 19-20, 2014, Sacramento, CA
The first California Adaptation Forum, co-hosted by the Local Government Commission and the State of California, will be held August 19-20, 2014 in Sacramento, CA. The Forum is designed to create a comprehensive network of multi-disciplinary adaptation leaders who have a strong commitment to addressing climate risks. We plan to craft a program reflective of the diverse needs and challenges California is facing and bring together leading voices from various sectors to share insights on how we can most effectively respond.

The Call for Session Proposals (CFSP) for this Forum is now open, and will remain open until March 20th. The CFSP instructions and online form are now available on the Forum website. Please contact Jenny Woods for more information about this Forum.
State Climate Action Team Public Health Workgroup Meeting - Feb. 27, 2014
Neil Maizlish (Department of Public Health) presented and is seeking feedback on a draft county-level climate health vulnerability assessment, which will be replicated across all counties in California. This will be part of a statewide Climate and Health Report targeted at local government and health department staff and policymakers, with the goal of helping staff to monitor, evaluate, and address climate-related health impacts. The draft uses Contra Costa County as an example; feedback can be submitted to [email protected]. You can view all presentations from the meeting online.
About Resilient Sacramento

Resilient Sacramento is a membership based collaborative network designed to promote greater climate change resilience planning coordination in the six-county Sacramento Region. The purpose of this collaborative network is to create a forum where leaders from government, academia, environmental and community groups, the business community, and labor can come together to exchange information, identify vulnerabilities and data gaps, leverage resources, and advance comprehensive solutions in an effort to create stronger, sustainable, and economically viable communities in the Sacramento Region.  

 

Resilient Sacramento's current members include: UC Davis Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and the Economy; Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District; Sacramento Area Council of Governments; Greenwise Joint Ventures; Sacramento Municipal Utility District; Pacific Gas & Electric Company; and the Local Government Commission. If you are interested in learning more about Resilient Sacramento, joining the Collaborative, or being added to the list serv, please contact Jenny Woods.

Copyright � 2014. All Rights Reserved.
 
This newsletter is intended for general educational and informational purposes only. 
It does not necessarily reflect the views of individual Resilient Sacramento members.