Cities Preparing for Climate Change

1. Cities Preparing for Climate Change Jennifer Penney, Clean Air Partnership Multi State Working Group Climate Change Workshop Madison, Wisconsin, June 19, 2007

2. Adapting to Climate Change in Toronto • 2 year research & activation project to get the City of Toronto on the road to climate change adaptation

3. Involved • 4 research reports • A Scan of Climate Change Impacts on Toronto • Cities Preparing for Climate Change • Climate Change Adaptation Options for Toronto’s Urban Forest • Time to Tackle Toronto’s Warming • 2 workshops with City of Toronto staff

4. Cities Preparing for Climate Change • Case studies of six cities/urban regions • Lessons from the experience of early adapters • Developed a framework for adaptation by urban governments

5. London New York Boston Halifax Vancouver Seattle/King County Cities/Regions Studied

6. Chosen Because • Relevance for Toronto • Impacts assessments done • Appeared to have taken leadership on the adaptation agenda

7. Research Process • Attended major adaptation conferences • Reviewed literature • Conducted internet search • Arranged visits to selected cities & conducted interviews with key informants • Gathered further information • Sought a framework for analyzing collected data

8. Adaptation Leaders • Created public awareness & stakeholder engagement strategies • Undertook climate impacts assessment • Assessed adaptation options & review current activities • Have begun to implement adaptation strategies

9. Awareness & Engagement • Building awareness of climate impacts in public & stakeholders an essential step • Al Gore has made this easier • However, focus remains on reducing emissions rather than adaptation

10. Awareness Tools Found • Dedicated websites (Halifax, London, NYC) • Newsletters (Halifax) • Workshops & conferences (London, NYC, Boston, King County) • Press conferences (London, King County) • Maps, video animations (NYC, Boston, Halifax)

11. Public Awareness Leader: Halifax Regional Municipality • Climate SMART webpage with: • Primer on climate change • Fact sheets on climate change impacts • Guide to preparing for weather emergencies • Climate change information in almost every issue of Naturally Green, a quarterly newsletter distributed to all households

12. Lessons • Commitment to reducing ghg’s does not translate directly into adaptation action • Visual presentation of information is effective • Analysis of extreme events for economic & human costs is a vital awareness tool

13. Stakeholder Awareness & Engagement in Adaptation Processes • Stakeholders possess critical knowledge • Stakeholders will be more supportive of action if engaged in assessment & options analysis • Key stakeholders include local government staff, transportation authorities, utilities, conservation authorities & others

14. Stakeholder Engagement Processes • London Climate Change Partnership • Metro East Coast Assessment • ClimAdapt Network in Halifax • Stakeholder Advisory Group in Metropolitan Boston area • King County Global Warming Preparedness Team

15. Stakeholder Awareness & Engagement:London, New York • Greater London Authority: • 100+ presentations & workshops with staff in departments & agencies that need to take climate change into account • NYC Department of Environmental Protection: • Workshops with each of 7 divisions responsible for water & wastewater management

16. Workshops Typically Include: • Presentation on the science of climate change • Regional climate projections • Potential impacts • Initial discussion of adaptation options & strategies

17. Stakeholder Awareness & Engagement:King County • High profile conference with 700 participants, 60% from local, regional & state government (UW Climate Impacts Group holds regular meetings with water managers)

18. Lessons • Engagement of stakeholders often begins with an event to raise awareness • A plan for ongoing engagement is necessary • Mid-level staff are the workhorses • Regular communications & meetings required for sustained engagement • Processes focused on technical modeling will reduce engagement • Researcher-led processes often end when funding ceases

19. Impact Scans & Assessments • The best assessments involve: • Analysis of current conditions & stressors • Review of historical climate trends • Regional climate change projections • Analysis of likely impacts by sector

20. Coastal systems Water & wastewater Energy Transportation Buildings Ecosystems Health (heat, air quality, infectious diseases) Social impacts, etc. Most Took Sectoral Approach

21. Impacts Assessment Approaches:New York • Led by Columbia researchers • Undertook in-depth studies of specific vulnerable sectors, with stakeholder groups from each sector

22. Impacts Assessment Approaches:Boston • Done by university researchers • Cost estimates of three scenarios for different sectors: • “Ride it out” – business as usual • “Build your way out” – fortification of existing systems to reduce damage • “Green” adaptation – alter the organization & structure of urban systems to make them less vulnerable

23. Impacts Assessment Approaches:Halifax • Classic risk assessment approach

24. Lessons • Several valid options for analyzing impacts • Experienced climate & sectoral researchers essential for credible assessment • Stakeholder involvement helps produce usable reports • Visual & graphic information easier for decision-makers to use • Credible information on costs of inaction may provide a spur to adaptation

25. Identifying Adaptation Options • Initial analyses of options for the six cities tended to be simple & generic • NYC, Seattle & King County have developed more in-depth analysis of adaptation options for key areas of impact • Many adaptation options are simply ramped-up solutions to existing problems

26. Precursors for Adaptation Action • Education & capacity building, e.g. • Education for the general public on the risks of building in coastal areas vulnerable to sea level rise (New York MEC Assessment) • Research and monitoring, e.g. • High resolution topographical mapping to better identify areas at risk from flooding (Halifax)

27. Adaptation Options from More Preventive to More Reactive • Interventions to reduce pressures on urban systems vulnerable to climate change, e.g. • Energy conservation programs to reduce peak loads & limit risk of blackouts (London)

28. Adaptation Options that Increase Resiliency • Interventions to increase resilience of urban systems in face of extreme weather, e.g. • Diversified local sources of electricity to reduce dependence on centralized generation & vulnerable transmission lines (Vancouver) • Home elevation program to protect houses in flood zones (King County)

29. More Reactive Adaptation Options • Creation of buffer zones or relocation to protect vulnerable systems, e.g. • Green zones/parks in flood-prone areas for flood management (London) • Relocation of vulnerable transportation infrastructure (Halifax) • Fortification of vulnerable structures & systems, e.g. • More onerous requirements for bridges, stormwater infrastructure (Boston)

30. Adaptation Options that Reduce Harm • Forecasting and early warning systems, e.g. • Public warnings about how to protect against vector-borne diseases (Halifax) • Strengthening emergency response systems, e.g. • Alternative transportation route planning (Boston)

31. Towards a More Systematic Analysis of Adaptation Options • Systematic reviews of options and strategies remain to be done, though some examples are surfacing • Adapting to Climate Change: Lessons for London investigated strategies of more than 20 cities to cope with heat, flooding & water shortages

32. Taking Action • Three main aspects: • Establish “institutional mechanisms” • Formulate adaptation policies • Incorporate adaptation into projects & programs

33. Institutional Mechanisms • Ongoing processes that bring together stakeholders in local government & related organizations to learn & plan • Create guides and templates for integrating climate impacts & adaptation into decision-making • Needs dedicated staff & resources

34. Examples of Institutional Mechanisms Seen • Broad-based adaptation-specific stakeholder group (London) • Internal mitigation-adaptation action team (King County) • Combined team of outside researchers & internal departmental team (NYC DEP) • Private network of adaptation consultants working with environmental staff (Halifax)

35. Institutional MechanismsLondon • London Climate Change Partnership, 2001 • 15-20 agencies • Chaired by high-profile businessman • Produces in-depth reports • Comments on government plans • Engages the media • Also appointed full time-officer to do “inreach” & develop London Adaptation Plan

36. Formulation of Policies • Include adaptation goals in overarching policies (London, King County, New York?) • Developing broad-scale adaptation plans – similar to mitigation planning (London, King County) • Integrating adaptation into individual departmental & agency plans & programs (New York, Seattle, Vancouver)

37. Mitigation & adaptation both explicitly integrated in the Revised London Plan (2006) “The Mayor will and other agencies should promote the most effective adaptation to climate change, including: - minimizing overheating and contribution to heat island effects - minimizing solar gain in summer - contributing to reducing flood risk including applying principles of sustainable urban drainage.” Example: The London Plan

38. Example: King County • Updating the King County Comprehensive Plan to address climate impacts on water resources, erosion & landslide hazards & fish & wildlife • Updating Shoreline Master plan to incorporate consideration of climate impacts

39. Getting Down to Action • Relocating water treatment plant in Boston Harbor to account for sea-level rise • London Transport’s Tunnel Cooling Program (pilot projects) • New York’s Greening the Bronx Quickstart Program • King County’s Flood Buyout & Home Elevation Programs

40. Barriers to Adaptation Action • Weak understanding of impacts • Uncertainty about timing & extent of impacts • Using past conditions to guide decisions • Focus on short-term costs of adaptation rather than long-term costs of business as usual • Difficulty getting attention of politicians • Difficulties getting some stakeholders to the table • Problems coordinating across departments and levels of government • Inadequate & one-off resources

41. Supports forAdaptation • Knowledgeable & committed political or executive champions • Creation of specific interagency or interdepartmental organization • Collaboration of strong community of researchers • Allocation of human & financial resources • Strong communications & outreach • Stakeholder engagement strategy

42. For Full Report www.cleanairpartnership.org