Climate Update

From: CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION DRAFT SEA-LEVEL RISE POLICY GUIDANCE, Public Review Draft Comment Period: October 14, 2013 - January 15, 2013; also:  http://www.coastal.ca.gov/climate/SLRguidance.html

Climate change is upon us, and almost every facet of California’s natural and built environment is being affected. Increasing global temperatures are causing significant effects at global, regional, and local scales. In the past century, average global temperature has increased by about 0.8°C (1.4°F), and average global sea level has increased by 17 to 21 centimeters (7 to 8 inches) (IPCC, 2013). Sea level at the San Francisco tidal gauge has risen 20 centimeters (8 inches) over the past century, and the National Research Council projected that sea level may rise by as much as 140-165 centimeters (55-65 inches) in California by 2100 (NRC, 2012). The Coastal Commission has developed this guidance to help California’s coastal communities prepare for the effects of sea-level rise.

The economic impacts of sea-level rise in California could be severe. Many parts of the state’s $1.9 trillion economy – including coastal tourism, commercial fisheries, coastal agriculture, and ports – are at risk from sea-level rise. In addition to potential loses in revenue, the Pacific Institute estimates that $100 billion worth of property is at risk of flooding during a 100-year flood with a projected 1.4 meters of sea-level rise. . . .

From Ascent Environmental, Inc., AscentShare E-Newsletter, November 14, 2013

In the last three weeks, multiple important climate policy-related events occurred that we want to share with you. To complement the media reports you may have read, we are highlighting five actions with links to help you download the relevant documents. We hope you find this to be helpful in your climate change-related activities.

President Obama signed the executive order,Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change. It calls for Federal agencies to report their climate adaptation progress and to modernize their climate programs. It also creates a State/Local/Tribal Climate Preparedness Task Force to offer action recommendations. Governor Jerry Brown, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, and Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal are members, as noted in a White House Fact Sheet.

The California Coastal Commission released Draft Sea-Level Rise Policy Guidance for public comment. It offers guidance on addressing sea-level rise (SLR) in Local Coastal Plans and Coastal Development Permits. SLR predictions in the draft report are from the National Research Council’s 2012 study, as reflected in the Ocean Protection Council’s 2013 update on SLR guidance.

Governor Brown and the leaders of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia signed a West Coast climate change pact to align their greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction policies. The pact includes harmonizing GHG reduction targets, promoting zero-emission vehicles, and deploying high-speed rail. 

As part of the California Air Resources Board’s (ARB’s) GHG program linkage efforts, it released the Quebec Linkage Readiness Report. The report confirms readiness to allow the transfer of GHG compliance instruments between California and Quebec on January 1, 2014, as planned. It also noted that the potential for joint auctions within their respective cap-and-trade programs will continue to be studied.

On November 5th, the California Strategic Growth Council approved the Final Draft Guidelines for the third round of the Sustainable Communities Planning Grants. In this round, grant applications must demonstrate not only substantial GHG emission reductions, but also application of best practices for climate change vulnerability assessment, resilience planning, and adaptation.