Moving Beyond Talk: Resilient Communities for America Agreement

1. Moving Beyond Talk: Resilient Communities for America Agreement Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategies Patrice Parsons A Capital Area Symposium Director of External Relations Austin, Texas Patrice.parsons@iclei.org

2. ICLEI: The Leading Global Network • Who are we?  ICLEI is a network of more than 400 local governments in the US leading on sustainability and resilience.  ICLEI builds the capacity of local governments to tackle tough challenges like extreme weather and climate change, with tools, training, technical assistance, networking opportunities, leadership recognition, and other resources

3. Resilience initiatives work well at a regional scale because the challenges are often shared regionally and the solutions often need to be coordinated regionally.  Resilience initiatives work well at a regional scale because the challenges are often shared regionally and the solutions often need to be coordinated regionally. 3

4. Collaborative regional approaches can also be more attractive to funders and can better leverage resources that are available *ICLEI facilitated San Diego Bay Sea Level Rise Adaptation Strategy 4

5. Critical Components for Success Steering Committee • Public agencies with jurisdiction over area planning that are interested in developing actionable recommendations. Stakeholders Working Group • Entities with an interest in regional planning that will be critical to reaching desired outcomes. Technical Advisory Committee • Entities willing to volunteer their expertise in topic areas central to the planning process.

6. Regional Adaptation Initiatives - Adapting Urban Water Systems to Climate Change - SWITCH – Managing Water for the City of the Future - AsianCitiesAdapt - Changing Climate, Changing Communities: For Municipal Climate Adaptation - Guide & Workbook - Adaptation Initiative • - Guide & Toolkit for Asian Cities • (ACCCRN) • - AsianCitiesAdapt • AdaptCap - Climate Resilient Communities Program - Preparing for Climate Change Guidebook - ADAPT online management tool - Participatory Vulnerability Assessment Survey Tool • - Sub Regional Node of APAN • - AsianCitiesAdapt • ACCCRN (upcoming) - Local Government Climate Adaptation Toolkit - PAKLIM Program - Guide & Toolkit for Asian Cities (ACCCRN) Sub-Saharan African Cities: 5 City Network for Adaptation Solutions The Municipal Climate Action Plan (PACMUN) Program

7. Rallying the leadership and commitment of mayors and county officials to overcome our nation’s climate and energy challenges

8. Partners & Leaders • Campaign Chair:Mayor Kevin Johnson • Sacramento, CA • Advisory Committee: city & county staff, academics, business leaders • Endorsing Partners: Mayors Innovation Project; The San Diego Foundation, Department of Energy

9. Resilient Communities for America Overview Championing the leadership of hundreds of local elected officials who commit to creating stronger, more prepared communities that can bounce back from extreme weather, energy, and economic challenges

10. Paths to Resilience “ the ability to bounce back from disruptions in a sustainable way and maintain a good quality of life for all ” Infrastructure Climate • Upgrade and protect critical infrastructure • Create new financing models • Harness innovations in information technology and green infrastructure • Prepare for extreme weather and climate impacts • Reduce carbon pollution Economy Energy • Protect businesses, infrastructure and assets from climate impacts • Ensure reliable access to water and energy • Expand local renewable energy • Increase energy efficiency

11. Goals & Outcomes • 1,000 + elected official signatories by 2015 who pledge to create more resilient communities by signing the Resilient Communities for America Agreement. • More local governments taking measureable action on climate and energy issues, empowered through campaign tools, resources, collaboration • Create greater federal and state awareness and support of community resilience and local climate action • Cities and counties leading a new resilience movement

12. Commitments in the Agreement 1. We urge state and federal leaders to support our local resilience initiatives and to take meaningful steps to build resilience and security throughout the nation. 2. We commit to building community resilience through our own local actions. 3. We commit to sharing our solutions, success stories, and annual progress with other local governments through the Resilient Communities for America online platform.

13. Agreement Letter • Resilient Communities for America Agreement: • Sign-on letter for elected officials to formalize commitment, showcase leadership

14. Signatories 80 top local elected officials (partial list) Mayor Kevin Johnson Sacramento, CAMayor Vincent Gray Washington, DC Mayor Mark Mallory Cincinnati, OH Mayor Michael Hancock Denver, CO Mayor Tom Barrett Milwaukee, WI Mayor Sly James Kansas City, MO Mayor Paul Fraim Norfolk, VA Mayor Frank Cownie Des Moines, IAMayor Kristin Jacobs Broward County, FLMayor John P. "Jack" Seiler Fort Lauderdale, FLMayor Jean QuanOakland, CAMayor George Heartwell Grand Rapids, MIMayor Dawn Zimmer Hoboken, NJMayor Ralph BeckerSalt Lake City, UTSupervisor SaludCarbajal Santa Barbara County, CA

15. Success Stories • CampaignLaunch – June 2013 • Launch even at National Press Club with +100 attendees • Press coverage in 120 new outlets, including AP, Reuters, and LA Times • US Conference of Mayors Resolution • Introduced by Mayor Johnson of Sacramento and Mayor Cownie of Des Moines • Adopted unanimously • White House Conference Call • Discussion with senior White House officials for campaign signatories and ICLEI members • Website live with e-signature capability – www.resilientamerica.org • 82 signatories as of September 27th.

16. Next Steps • Resilience Leadership Breakfast • Exclusive event for Signatories at the NLC Annual Congress • Tools and Partnerships • ICLEI to release Extreme Events Communication Guidebook and begin work on next-gen software tools • Expanding group of partners providing tools and resources through the campaign • Recruitment • Outreach leading to 350 Signatories by Spring, 2014

17. Why Adapt? – Cost-effective Preparedness The 5 Milestone Adaptation Planning Process • -The climate is already changing, and climate change impacts are projected to get worse in the coming years. • -Significant time is required to motivate and develop adaptive capacity, and to implement changes. • -Today’s choices will shape tomorrow’s vulnerabilities. • -Proactive planning is often more effective and less costly than reactive planning, and can provide immediate benefits. • -Connect climate change back to local impacts – especially extreme weather events • -“Those who report experience of flooding express more concern over climate change, see it as less uncertain and feel more confident that their actions will have an effect on climate change. Importantly, these perceptual differences also translate into a greater willingness to save energy to mitigate climate change” - A. Spence et. al., Nature, March 2011

18. Why Adapt? The 5 Milestone Adaptation Planning Process -Why Not?

19. Local action: the real driver of climate progress. • Picture of the globe – iconic… or other iconic global picture • (from bottom? Sunlight peering out?) Patrice “Pete” ParsonsDirector of External Relations ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA Patrice.parsons@iclei.org 210-722-7270 www.icleiusa.org 7