|
|
Climate Mitigation and Adaptation News
November 2, 2018
|
|
A biweekly newsletter of the Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative
|
|
Driving on deteriorated, congested, and unsafe roads costs the average Sacramento driver over $2,100 each year in the form of vehicle costs (such as tire wear, accelerated vehicle depreciation, and additional repair costs), excess gas usage, lost time, and the financial cost of traffic accidents, according to
a recent study. In Sacramento, 72 bridges longer than 20 feet are structurally deficient, and a large majority of all major roads are in poor (41%) or mediocre (29%) condition.
Safe and sound roads are a critical part of our regional economy for goods movement, commuting, and tourism and recreation. Across the state, 7.1 million full-time jobs are fully dependent on a smooth and functioning transportation network. Senate Bill 1 is bringing $1.1 billion in road repair funding to the six-county Sacramento region, with 152 projects filling potholes and repaving crumbling roads, 30 traffic congestion relief projects, and 176 road and bridge safety improvement projects. Without Senate Bill 1, we would lose over 5 billion annually over the next decade to improve road, highway and bridge conditions, improve traffic safety, enhance pedestrian and bicycle facilities, improve public transit and relieve traffic congestion.
This
excellent infographic from Valley Vision summarizes all the SB 1-funded projects in the region. Want to see all SB1-funded road repair and safety projects in the State? Find it
here!
|
Sacramento's roadways are in bad shape and getting worse
|
Sacramento has some of the worst urban roadways in the nation, with 41 percent of roads rated in poor condition by a recent research report on urban road quality. That ranks 12th among large urban areas (population 500,000+) for most deteriorated roads and highways. Only 18 percent of roadways are considered good, and 12 percent rated fair. California cities make up six out of the top 20 large urban areas with the poorest road quality, with San Francisco/Oakland, San Jose, and Los Angeles making up the top 3. For mid-sized urban areas (200,000-500,000 people), California fared even worse with 8 cities in the top 20. Recommendations include using higher-quality pavement materials for road construction, creating a pavement preservation program, patching potholes aggressively and resurfacing roads in a timely manner. (
Sac Bee)
|
'We're moving to higher ground': America's era of climate mass migration is here
|
|
|
 |
|
Illustration: R Fresson for the Guardian
|
|
The population shift gathering pace is so sprawling that it may rival anything in US history. By the end of this century, sea level rise alone could displace 13 million people, including 6 million in Florida. Within just a few decades, hundreds of thousands of homes on US coasts will be chronically flooded. "There's not a state unaffected by this," said demographer Mat Hauer. "Not everyone can afford to move, so we could end up with trapped populations that would be in a downward spiral." By 2065, southern states are expected to lose 8% of their population share, while population in the western half of the US will increase by more than 10% over the next 50 years due to climate migration. (
Guardian)
|
Climate gentrification: the rich can afford to move - what about the poor?
|
|
|
|
Photo: Joshua Taff for the Guardian
|
A pattern of climate-driven gentrification is taking hold across the US, as those who are able to retreat from floods, storms, heatwaves and wildfires shift to safer areas, bringing soaring property and rental values with them. An influx of people moving from sweltering Phoenix and Tucson is contributing to rising property values in Flagstaff, located in the mountains. On the east coast, investors are shifting capital to higher ground and shoreline properties are becoming costlier in terms of insurance and repairs, pushing poorer people out of both. (
Guardian)
|
'A prisoner of environment': is it time to leave the American west?
|
|
|
|
|
Photo: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images
|
|
Climate change is causing some people to consider leaving the western US, a place long conceptualized in the American imagination as the land of balmy weather and fresh starts. Some have already left. They are sick of wildfire smoke; worried that a lack of water will destroy their communities or about climate migrants from other parts of the country; and struggling with the heat itself. (
Guardian)
|
| 11 climate scientists on where they would live - and Sacramento is one of them |
Business Insider asked 11 climatologists where they would consider living to avoid climate change. All were quick to note that no area is entirely safe, but a few cities could be less vulnerable than most. The scientists suggested mostly inland cities that have flood-protection measures, their own water supply as well as restrictions on water use, limited heat increases, and unfortunately, anywhere but Hawaii. (
Business Insider)
|
| Wildfires don't hurt hot real estate markets |
More people than ever want to live on the wild edges of Western cities, despite the risk wildfires pose to their homes. A study by researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, found that wildfires drive down real estate prices only in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Home prices in burned areas typically rebound to pre-fire levels within one to two years. More residents in the wildland urban interface increases risks of new fires and also raises the cost of fighting fires and the potential destruction of any fires in terms of property damage and loss of life. Yet developers will continue to build in high-risk areas as long as there's a demand. (
High Country News)
|
| Getting back what you lost - rebuilding in a wildfire zone |
|
|
|
Photo_ Lauren Sommer_KQED |
With wildfire a normal part of the California landscape, how - and where - should residents rebuild to protect themselves? In the hills above Santa Rosa, wooden frames of houses are rising among the blackened trees. Many of the rebuilt homes will include new fire-resistant building materials, something few had when the fire swept through. But many others - almost 2,000 of the destroyed structures - will not be required to meet building standards for wildfire-prone areas. Homeowners face another hurdle: there are few other places to go. (
NPR)
|
| What migrants displaced by the Dust Bowl and climate events can teach us |
|
|
|
|
Photo: Dorothea Lange/AP
|
|
The World Bank predicts climate change could create as many as 143 million "climate migrants" by 2050. The result would be a mass migration twice as large as the number of refugees in the world today. Though the size of potential displacement is unprecedented, the relationship between migration and climate has played out on a smaller scale throughout the history of North America - such as California's vilification of Dust Bowl migrants in the 1930s. Now a recent study predicts that climate-induced migration could increase population in the Western US by 10 percent in the next 50 years. (
NPR)
|
ICLEI: GHG Contribution Analysis Toolkit
|
Tracking progress in GHG mitigation can be a challenging exercise. Time between data points might be several years in length, the resolution of the data is often coarse, and the task in mitigation action is to manage a dynamic system that is open to many other factors that influence outcomes. Through a funding award from the U.S. Department of Energy's Cities Leading through Energy Analysis and Planning (Cities-LEAP) Program, ICLEI USA and the City of Bellevue, Washington, have worked to advance the state of the GHG mitigation practice by equipping cities to perform their own GHG Contribution Analysis of the biggest drivers influencing GHG performance of communities. By accounting for significant sources of noise in the data, communities using this approach will have a better signal to evaluate overall progress and more thorough understanding of the nature of the problem they are trying to solve. (
Link)
|
Global Climate and Health Forum: Health Action for Climate, and Climate Action for Health
|
|
|
|
| UCSF - Global Climate and Health Forum - September 12, 2018 |
|
View a recording of the Global Climate and Health Forum, an affiliate event of the Global Climate Action Summit, which brought together hundreds of health leaders to share stories of successful climate and health action and to continue the momentum and generate commitments for action to address the human health impacts of climate change. (
YouTube)
|
Job Opportunity: Statewide Local Government Energy Efficiency Best Practices Coordinator
|
The Local Government Commission - in partnership with the Institute for Local Government and ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability through the Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative - is recruiting to fill the Statewide Local Government Energy Efficiency Best Practices Coordinator position (Local Government Energy Coordinator). The Local Government Energy Coordinator's scope of work will be focused on assisting local governments to meet goals within the California Long-term Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan. The Coordinator will work closely with the three statewide associations to support and increase the effectiveness of local government climate and energy efficiency activities. Priority deadline October 31. (
LGC)
|
| SGC: Draft Transformative Climate Communities Program Evaluation Plan |
The Strategic Growth Council (SGC) is working with a team of evaluators at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Berkeley, to develop an evaluation plan for the Transformative Climate Communities Program. The evaluation team submitted a draft plan for review and feedback from the SGC, as well as community members and non-profit organizations. Please email
tccpubliccomments@SGC.CA.GOV with your feedback. (
SGC)
|
CDFA: 2019 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Call for Proposals
|
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is now accepting concept proposals for its 2019 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. This program funds projects that enhance the competitiveness of CA's specialty crops (fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops). Grant awards range from $50,000 to $450,000 per project. Attend the
Sacramento workshop on Oct. 18, 9.30-11.30am. Deadline: 5pm, November 2, 2018. (
CDFA)
|
Antioch University: Climate Change Resilience Series
|
Join Antioch University New England's Center for Climate Preparedness and Community Resilience in an exciting series of online courses focused on the fundamentals of climate change resilience. The six courses include Climate Impacts: Communication, Facilitation and Stakeholder Capacity Building; Climate Impacts: Vulnerability & Adaptation Planning; Business Resilience & Continuity; and Climate Justice & Equitable Adaptation. Each course runs four weeks and may be completed online in approximately 8 hours per week. Starts Nov. 4. (
Register)
|
Dairy Digester Research and Development Program Grant Drafts
|
The California Department of Food and Agriculture is accepting public comments on the draft Request for Grant Applications for the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP). The DDRDP provides financial assistance for the installation of dairy digesters on commercial dairy operations in California. Comments on the draft must be submitted to cdfa.oefi@cdfa.ca.gov by November 5 at 5pm. (
CDFA)
|
Strategic Growth Council: Climate Change Research Program Solicitation
|
The Strategic Growth Council (SGC) has made $17.1 million available through the second round of its
Climate Change Research Program. These funds will be awarded to proposals focused on the development and deployment of transformative, low-GHG technology. Funded through cap-and-trade, this program supports research on reducing carbon emissions, including energy, adaptation, and resiliency, with an emphasis on California, and explores strategies that protect vulnerable communities and landscapes. Both the
Round 2 Solicitation and the updated
Research Investment Plan are on SGC's website. Deadline: Friday, November 9, 5pm. (
SGC)
|
Free Technical Assistance: Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities
|
The Strategic Growth Council is offering technical assistance (TA) in the form of direct application assistance and capacity building services for potential applicants to the FY 2017-2018 Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Program. These services are offered at no cost to the TA recipient and are available statewide. Interested applicants should complete
this form. SGC Staff will assess the collected information and allocate TA resources according to a number of selection criteria. Deadline: Wednesday, November 21. (
Link)
|
CARB: Grant Solicitation for Clean Mobility Options for Disadvantaged Communities
|
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is announcing a grant solicitation for an administrator to implement the Clean Mobility Options Projects for Disadvantaged Communities, which aims to improve clean transportation access and to increase zero-emission and near zero-emission mobility choices for disadvantaged communities. The Grantee, in collaboration with CARB, will develop and administer a program to fund small-scale car sharing and ridesharing projects for these communities. Currently up to $17 million is available for fiscal year 2017-18, intended to support this program over the next two years. There are
two teleconferences, on Oct. 23 and Nov. 6, to answer questions. Deadline: Wednesday, November 28, 5pm. (
CARB)
|
California ReLeaf - 2019 Social Equity Forest Improvement Grant Program
|
The 2019 Social Equity Forest Improvement Grant Program will support nonprofit and community-based organizations with funding for tree planting projects. While significant focus will be on supporting projects located in disadvantaged and low-income communities, 25% of the funds will be open to state-wide competition in all communities. Emphasis will be placed on shovel-ready projects. Proposals are due by Friday, November 30. (
ReLeaf)
|
Caltrans FY2019-2020 Grant Programs - $40 million available
|
Caltrans has $40 million available for transportation planning projects for FY2019-20. The Sustainable Communities Grants ($29.5 million) program will encourage local and regional planning that furthers state goals, including, but not limited to, the goals and best practices in the Regional Transportation Plan guidelines adopted by the California Transportation Commission. The Strategic Partnerships Grants ($4.5 million) will identify and address statewide, interregional, or regional transportation deficiencies on the State highway system in partnership with Caltrans. The transit component will fund planning projects that address multimodal transportation deficiencies with a focus on transit. The Adaptation Planning Grants ($6 million) will support planning actions at local and regional levels that advance climate change efforts on the transportation system. Deadline: November 30, 2018, 5pm. (
Link)
|
Cal Fire releases $155 million funding programs for forest health and fire prevention
|
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) is soliciting applications for $155 million in projects that will help prevent catastrophic wildfires and restore forest health while sequestering carbon and reducing GHG emissions. The
Fire Prevention Grants Program will fund local projects that address the risk of wildfire and reduce wildfire potential to communities in, and adjacent to, forested areas. Qualified activities include hazardous fuel reduction, fire planning and fire prevention education with an emphasis on improving public health and safety. The
Forest Health Grants Program will fund projects that proactively restore forest health, protect upper watersheds, promote the long-term storage of carbon in forest trees and soils, and minimize the loss of forest carbon from large, intense wildfires. Conservation easements and land acquisitions are also eligible under the Forest Legacy Program. In addition to the $155 million, up to $3.5 million will be available specifically for applied research studies that examine forest management and health to support forest landowners, resource agencies, and fire management organizations. The deadline for the Fire Prevention program is 3pm, December 19, 2018, and for the Forest Health Program, 3pm, January 29, 2018. (
Link)
|
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Mini Grant Program
|
SACOG will award mini-grants of up to $3,000 per project in support of small events and non-infrastructure programs or projects that encourage biking, walking, riding transit, carpooling, vanpooling and teleworking, as options for reducing car trips and vehicles miles traveled. Projects that focus on testing a new strategy or tactic for changing travel behavior will be prioritized. Applications considered on a rolling basis until $30,000 has been awarded for each of two application phases. The second phase is open July 15 through December 31, 2018. (
Link)
|
FEMA FY 2018 Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program and Flood Mitigation Assistance Program
|
The
Pre-Disaster Mitigation program (PDM) funds State, Local and Tribal Governments to implement and sustain cost-effective measures designed to reduce the risk to individuals and property from natural hazards, while also reducing reliance on Federal funding from future disasters. The
Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program funds State, Local and Tribal Governments to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings and structures insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). In FY18, the FMA Program will prioritize proposals that address community flood risk by setting aside $70 million for this purpose. Deadline for both programs: January 31, 2019. (
PDM &
FMA)
|
| Webinar: An introduction to AmeriCorps for rural communities
Tuesday, November 6, 2-3pm
|
The Local Government Commission working on behalf of
CaliforniaVolunteers is providing an introductory webinar on AmeriCorps aimed at community groups, public agencies, educators, and others in rural California. Historically, AmeriCorps members have not been serving our rural communities as much as elsewhere in California, and CaliforniaVolunteers is hoping to raise awareness that might lead to the development of new programs within rural California. The webinar is open to anyone interested in learning more about how an AmeriCorps program could benefit their community, as well as the logistics and administrative components necessary to run such a program. Additionally, we will explore how AmeriCorps can best be leveraged to help address community needs within rural communities across California. (
Register)
|
| SACOG Modeling Transportation Demand Workshop
Wednesday, November 7, 1-2pm
Rivers Room, Suite 300, 1415 L St., Sacramento
|
Please join SACOG staff for a workshop and Q&A on the regional travel demand model used in the development of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program. The SACOG travel demand model is used to forecast travel demand, simulate the transportation network, and evaluate the performance of the planned system. (
Link)
|
| Sacramento County Environmental Justice Community Workshop - North Highlands
Thursday, November 15, 6-8pm
North Highlands Recreation Center, 6040 Watt Avenue, North Highlands
|
Please join the Sacramento County Environmental Justice Advisory Committee and the Office of Planning and Environmental Review for a family-friendly Community Workshop to share ideas about Environmental Justice. Share your ideas about what your community needs and how we can help be more equitable and inclusive. Refreshments provided. (
Register)
|
| Organics: State Regulation and Municipal Opportunities
November 15-16, 2018, 9am-4.45pm
Ziggurat Building, 707 Third Street, West Sacramento
|
The 13th annual California Bioresources Alliance Symposium will look at how local communities in California are implementing organic waste reduction goals and projects required by State regulations. There will be presentations by local community representatives, flash presentations on new bioresources projects and technologies, and open discussion on implementing projects to achieve California's waste diversion, healthy soils, and renewable fuels goals. There will also be sessions on fire risk reduction and remediation, current research on organics, financing resource recovery projects, and integration of multiple bioresources technologies. Free. (
Link)
|
| Apply now for Transformational Resilience Intensive Train-the-Trainer Workshop
November 15-16, 2018
|
The International Transformational Resilience Coalition is offering an intensive Train-the-Trainer Workshop on Transformational Resilience for climate change-aggravated traumas and toxic stresses workshop. Attendance is by application only for a maximum of 20 people who want to learn how to apply knowledge, skills, and tools at the individual, organizational, and community levels to prevent and heal psychological and psycho-social-spiritual impacts resulting from the disasters and extreme stresses generated by rising global temperatures. (
Apply Now)
|
| Meeting of the Minds Annual Summit
November 27-29, 2018, Sacramento
|
The 12th Meeting of the Minds Annual Summit convenes 400+ smart city leaders across the globe with the purpose of spotlighting emerging and tested urban sustainability solutions which are scalable, replicable, and transferable for cities and regions. Discussions are rooted in a deep understanding of technology and equity as key drivers for smart cities. Key urban issue areas will include water policy, mobility, EVs, electric bikeshare, parking, downtown and waterfront redevelopment, housing, inclusion and equity, food systems, health, homelessness, climate resiliency, IoT, innovative governance, and more. (
Register)
|
Sierra Nevada Regional Workshop - 4th California Assessment and Adaptation Planning Guide
Monday, December 3, 10am-3pm
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Board Room, 128 Market St., Stateline, NV
|
For the first time,
California's Fourth Climate Change Assessment included 9 regional reports with localized summaries of climate impacts and adaptation solutions. These regional reports can help local and regional governments respond to climate change, as well as comply with new State mandates such as SB 379. This workshop, hosted by the Sierra Business Council's
Sierra Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Partnership (Sierra CAMP), will help researchers connect with Sierra Nevada stakeholders and community members to communicate findings, identify gaps, and strengthen researcher-practitioner partnerships. The workshop will also feature the California Adaptation Planning Guide and update process, including a deep dive on region-specific planning needs to identify gaps between adaptation planning and strategy implementation. (
Register)
|
| CEQA: The Year in Review
December 13-14, San Francisco
|
2018 has been another exceptional year for CEQA legal and policy developments! Major amendments to the CEQA Guidelines are expected to be adopted by the end of 2018, while housing bills enacted in 2017 created new CEQA streamlining options that now are being implemented. In addition, the appellant courts have published numerous CEQA opinions with major implications for environmental practice. As always, California's pre-eminent attorneys, planners, and experts will provide you the latest insights, trends, and practice advice. (
Register)
|
Save the Date: CRC Workshop on the Sacramento Valley Report from cAlifornia's 4th Climate Change Assessment
February 6, 2018, UC Davis
|
By 2050, climate change could lead to an
additional 11,300 deaths in California due to rising temperatures, with an exponential increase in the number of extreme heat days in many areas. The average area burned by wildfires could increase 77% by 2100, while the state would also see more swings between extremes of drought and precipitation. Join the CRC at our first quarterly meeting of 2018 to hear from researchers and authors that wrote the
Sacramento Valley regional report for the 4th Climate Change Assessment to learn about how climate impacts affect the Sacramento Valley area specifically. See other regional reports and events
here.
|
Registration for the National Adaptation Forum is now open!
|
The 4th National Adaptation Forum will take place in Madison, WI, from April 23-25, 2019. Attendees will learn how to make their work climate-informed, share insights with others, and develop a stronger network of like-minded peers. Early registration ends March 1, 2019. (
Link
)
|
About the Capital Region Climate
Readiness
Collaborative
|
The Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative 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 Capital Region.
The CRC is a program of the Local Government Commission.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
