ResilienceCalifornia releases plan for preparing the state for extreme effects of climate change

Published 4 November 2015

In response to a directive from California governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., the California Natural Resources Agency has been seeking public comment on a draft plan for how California will prepare for and adapt to the catastrophic effects of climate change, including extended droughts and wildfires, rising sea levels and increasingly extreme weather. The draft plan — Safeguarding California: Implementation Action Plans — identifies the state’s vulnerabilities to climate change and details steps that need to be taken across ten sectors including water, transportation, agriculture, biodiversity and habitat, emergency management, and energy.

Result of extreme storm Hurricane Sandy // Source: noaa.gov

In response to a directive from California governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., the California Natural Resources Agency has been seeking public comment on a draft plan for how California will prepare for and adapt to the catastrophic effects of climate change, including extended droughts and wildfires, rising sea levels and increasingly extreme weather.

“With climate change, we cannot use the past to help us predict future conditions,” said John Laird, the California Secretary for Natural Resources. “While we work to reduce the carbon emissions that worsen climate change, we must prepare for higher sea levels, flashier winter storms, warmer temperatures, reduced snowpack, and other changes with big ramifications for how we live in California. This draft report gathers in one place all of the actions unfolding across state government to help build our resiliency in the face ofclimate change. As a comprehensive document, it will help us track our progress and help the public hold usaccountable.”

The Natural Resources Agency seeks public comment on the draft plan through the end of November, and it held two public meetings, on 26 October in Sacramento and on 27 October in Los Angeles, to gather input from interested citizens, scientists, government officials, and other stakeholders. The Safeguarding California: Implementation Action Plans document will be revised based on public comments, with a final version scheduled for release in December.

The Natural Resources Agency notes that in Executive Order B‐30‐15, Governor Brown set aggressive targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions and called for the Safeguarding Californiareport, which was released 9 October. The purpose of the report is to identify the state’s vulnerabilities to climate change by sector; outline primary risks to residents, property, communities and natural systems; identify an agency or group of agencies to lead adaptation efforts in each sector; and to prepare an implementation plan of necessary stateactions.

The agency says that the report sets forth how the state will help residents, communities, and natural systems adapt to the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change. The report also analyzes what actions have already been taken to prepare for climate change and details steps that still need to be taken across ten sectors including water, transportation, agriculture, biodiversity and habitat, emergency management, and energy. It provides a blueprint for execution ofthe actions recommended in the Natural Resources Agency’s 2014 report Safeguarding California: Reducing ClimateRisk.

SinceCaliforniareleaseditsfirstadaptationplanin2009,aseriesofextremenaturalevents— drought, record‐breaking higher average temperatures, and a practically non‐existent Sierra Nevada snowpack last winter — have heightened the urgency to act. The state has committed to facing the risks of climate change proactively and preparing accordingly. Just last month, the governor signed legislation, including AB 1482 (climate adaptation), AB 1496 (methane emissions), and SB 246 (climate change adaptation) to strengthen local planning and coordination to cope with increased flooding, temperatures, and other climate change effects.

The Natural Resources Agency says that state agencies must report back by June 2016 on actions they are taking to make the plan outlined in Safeguarding California areality.

— Read more in Safeguarding California: Implementation Action Plans (California Natural Resources Agency, October 2015)