Photo: Olivia Allen-Price/KQED

According to UC Davis's annual State of the Lake report, Lake Tahoe is warming faster than ever before: over the last four years, the lake's temperature increase was 15 times faster than its historic warming rate. A greater proportion of rain is helping to warm the lake; snow made up just 6.5 percent of precipitation in 2014-2015, compared to 50% historically. Scientists are alarmed by how this affects the lake's natural mixing of waters, as warm, oxygen-rich water is less likely to sink to the bottom, depriving fish and other life of oxygen. ( KQED)

The world is careening towards an environment never experienced before by humans, with the temperature of the air and oceans breaking records, sea levels reaching historic highs and carbon dioxide surpassing a key milestone, according to NOAA's State of the Climate Report. The report confirms that there was a toppling of several symbolic milestones in heat, sea level rise, and extreme weather in 2015, with the oceans reaching record high temperatures and the Greenland ice sheet experiencing melting over 50 percent of its surface. ( Guardian) 

Concluding that China's coal use peaked in 2014, senior economists say this "may well be an important milestone in the Anthropocene and a turning point in international efforts to [cut] the emissions of climate-altering greenhouse gases". China's progress indicates that its total carbon emissions will start falling in 2025, well ahead of its official target of 2035. This decline is driven by a series of deep transformations for China's economy, including a shift from heavy industry to technology and the service sectors, improvements to energy efficiency, and a serious focus toward improving air and water pollution. ( Guardian)

Photo: iStock

Visitors to the U.S. often complain that Americans set their room temperatures much too low - making life more difficult for themselves, and for the world. The U.S. and Europe agree that HCFCs - powerful GHGs used in cooling - should be phased out, but Europeans also think Americans should also do more to lower their reliance on A/C. While American demand for A/C has continuously increased over the past decades, Europeans generally prefer indoor temperatures warmer in summer and cooler in winter, relying instead on passive building designs with high ceilings to facilitate air flow. If the second, fourth, and fifth most populous nations - India, Indonesia, and Brazil - were to use as much energy per capita for A/C as does the U.S., it would require 100 percent of those countries' electricity supplies, plus all of the electricity generated by Mexico, the UK, Italy, and the entire continent of Africa. ( WashPost)

In Spain a network is harvesting unwanted produce from fields, donating to food banks, and producing Es Imperfect, a line of innovative jams, soups, and sauces that are selling out in high street stores. The network is now so successful that it is expanding to a larger processing plant and is in demand for trainings and talks at schools, markets, and factories, including those run by Cargill and Unilever. In Ireland, FoodCloud is a social enterprise connecting businesses with surplus food with charities in their local communities. In the Netherlands, InStock runs a restaurant, takeaway, and food truck supplied by 80% surplus food. ( The Guardian) 

Students in public schools in Germany are learning about climate change adaptation and mitigation through hands-on projects such as planting trees to shade buildings. According to the principal at a Berlin primary school, children are pioneers who bring back what they learn to their homes and help contribute to community resilience and sustainable development. In Hamburg, students learn how to use public transportation safely and properly. ( Link)

C40 has published a series of Good Practice Guides offering roadmaps for mayors and urban policymakers to draw on real-life examples to tackle climate change, reduce climate risk, and increase sustainability. The guides highlight 100 practical examples of climate solutions successfully adopted by cities of every size, geography and stage of development around the world. ( C40)

Cities across the world are grappling with water - either too much or too little. The 2015 World Economic Forum Global Risks Report identified water crises - droughts, floods, sea level rise and pollution - as the top risk with the largest expected global impact over the coming decade. In October 2015, members of the 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) convened in Rotterdam to share lessons learned and innovative approaches to water management, identify opportunities for collaboration, and learn from the living laboratory that is Rotterdam. The "Rotterdam Exchange: Water Management & Multi-Benefit Solutions Handbook" highlights the learnings from this three-day Exchange and features tactical solutions and tools from both participating 100RC member cities and 100RC Platform partners. ( 100RC)

Explore how sub-national jurisdictions (municipalities, states, and special administrative regions) in the US and China are taking action to build resilience to natural hazards, extreme weather, and climate change with a series of new case studies produced by the Georgetown Climate Center. By comparing the efforts undertaken in this diverse set of jurisdictions, the case studies highlight ways that communities across the world are being affected by climate change and some of the efforts underway to respond to impacts that are already being felt. For example, case studies from Louisiana and Shanghai focus on reducing vulnerability to coastal storms and flooding. Case studies of Austin, Texas, and Beijing include those cities' efforts to address water scarcity. Finally, profiles of Washington, DC, and Hong Kong include measures to address urban heat impacts. ( Georgetown Climate Center)

CivicSpark is now accepting project applications for the 2016-17 service year! CivicSpark helps local governments build their climate response capacity by working directly with local staff or in the community on projects that address their larger climate action goals. Local government agencies or non-governmental organizations can contract directly with LGC for Civicspark fellows to support projects and programs. ( Link)

Is your work advancing the field of planning? Do you have insights that would enlighten your colleagues in the field? Propose a session, workshop, or discussion and help make the 2017 conference. Proposals are due August 25, 2016. ( APA )

The National Adaptation Forum is now accepting proposals for symposia, training sessions, and working groups that reflect the best thinking in the adaptation field, informed by theory, research, and practice, on key subjects related to the focal topics and cross-cutting themes. Deadline is September 30, 2016. View instructions and apply today.

Connect with a diverse audience of over 600 local, regional, and state leaders who are committed to addressing California's adaptation needs. The 2016 California Adaptation Forum will feature a variety of breakout sessions on essential adaptation topics that reflect the diverse needs and challenges facing California, regional project tours highlighting adaptation efforts in Southern California, pre-forum workshops on tools and strategies for implementing adaptation solutions, and numerous networking opportunities. Use CRC's special discount code CAF16PPCRC to receive $25 off your registration! ( CAF)

U.S. EPA and Health Canada will share their program activities to increase heat resiliency across communities and highlight practical community tools and policy measures. On-the-ground examples will come from Louisville, Kentucky, which developed a comprehensive data-driven action plan for citywide UHI mitigation, and the City of Windsor, Ontario. ( Register)

Drought, flooding, source water security, and changing precipitation patterns are climate risks that must be addressed on the path to resiliency. Putting climate into a framework of integrated water resource management is ever more critical. This session offers real world applications for cities, utilities, and other influence points. Cost: $25, free for CSU alumni. ( Register) 

Please join the California Energy Commission and Sierra CAMP as we discuss the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015 (SB 350). The Energy Commission is looking for your input on how to make renewable energy and energy efficiency investments accessible. Our goal is to understand the barriers to and opportunities for renewable energy, energy efficiency and weatherization programs for low-income customers in disadvantaged communities. ( RSVP)

These webinars will provide a snapshot of some of the accomplishments of this year's CivicSpark Fellows - a Governor's Initiative AmeriCorps program supporting local government climate work - with an emphasis on sharing lessons learned and best practices. Come hear about projects such as developing bio-diverse landscape plans and policies to conserve water and build resilience in Los Angeles. Register for Aug. 23 and Aug. 24. 

ecoAmerica's new guide, 15 Steps to Create Effective Climate Communications, draws from the latest research and real-life experiences to present a simple process to help us all speak effectively about climate change. The webinar will show you how to shape communications that inspire others and build support for climate solutions, craft succinct, powerful messaging, and draw upon personal experience to resonate with your audience. ( Register)

Please join NIDIS and the California-Nevada Climate Applications Program for this webinar, which is designed to provide stakeholders and other interested parties in the region with timely information on current drought status and associated impacts, as well as a preview of current and developing climatic events (i.e., El Niño and La Niña). ( Register)

Local governments will learn about tools and products provided by the State of California to help promote clean energy projects for residents and businesses. Learn how your local government can receive up to $22,000 for free co-branded marketing materials and other marketing ideas to promote unbiased clean energy financing tools with the "State of Savings" program, part of Energy Upgrade California. Also learn about updates to the California Hub for Energy Efficiency Financing's Residential Energy Efficiency Loan product, which grants homeowners an unsecured alternative to PACE and other financing vehicles. ( Register)

Sierra Nevada forests are critical to Sierra communities and to the entire state. And yet, the Sierra is experiencing mass tree mortality with 66 million tree dies offs the last six years alone, leading to greater wildfire risk and other severe vulnerabilities. What can we do to protect the Sierra? In this webinar, we'll give you the basics of forest health and what needs to be done on the ground. Then we'll take a look at California forest policies and their overlap with climate policy, and explore opportunities to increase investment in Sierra forest restoration. ( Register)

The CRC is a program of the Local Government Commission.