Climate Mitigation and Adaptation News

December 14, 2022

Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate Adaptation (ARCCA) 2022 Legislative Update

The Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate Adaptation (ARCCA) has just released its annual legislative update! This resource provides an easy-to-digest summary of adaptation-related bills and budget allocations from the 2022 California legislative cycle.

The full update is available here.

California Climate & Energy Collaborative (CCEC) 2022 Legislative Update

In addition to ARCCA's 2022 Legislative Update, The California Climate and Energy Collaborative has just released its annual legislative update! This companion resource provides summaries of the energy and mitigation-related bills that were passed into law in the 2022 legislative cycle. 

The full update is available here.

Webinar: General Plan and Housing Element Annual

Progress Reports

January 5th, 11:00am - 12:00pm

The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) will host an Annual Progress Report (APR) webinar on January 5th from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. During the webinar, OPR and HCD staff will present APR requirements and guidance and answer questions to assist local governments in preparing their General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports due April 1, 2023. Please register for the webinar in advance.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email Brianne Masukawa at brianne.masukawa@opr.ca.gov or opr.apr@opr.ca.gov.

More information available here.

Webinar: Building Resilience to Extreme Heat in California

January 12th, 10:00 - 11:30am

Join The Climate Center and CEMO for a webinar focused on how climate resilience community hubs can keep people safe during extreme heat waves. Presenters include community leaders and experts from leading agencies who will discuss energy resilience as a possible solution to extreme heat. We’ll hear success stories from Southern and Northern California, as well as how to unlock state funding for developing resilience hub.

More information available here.

CRCRC Building Decarbonization Working Group

In August CRCRC relaunched its Building Decarbonization Working Group - previously the Building Electrification Working Group. Each of these sessions, occurring monthly, feature a guest speaker with expertise in one area of building decarbonization followed by designated time for participants to coordinate and collaborate with members of other organizations. This group is working on developing resources and strategies that will guide decarbonization efforts throughout the region.

If you are interested in joining this working group please complete this interest form.

Does your organization have updates you would like to share with the rest of the CRCRC? Share them through this newsletter!

If you or anyone at your organization has updates you would like to have promoted through this newsletter, utilize this form to submit them to be included in this newsletter! This can include any updates, upcoming projects, or opportunities for collaboration that you would like to share with the broader CRCRC network!

Finally, Some Good Climate News: The Biggest Wins in Clean Energy in 2022

Inside Climate News

You can forgive people who work on U.S. energy policy for being tired this month. They have just sprinted, and sometimes slogged, through an extraordinary year of action and progress at the federal, state and local levels. “It’s been a big one, for sure,” said Autumn Proudlove, associate director for policy and markets at the N.C. Clean Technology Center at North Carolina State University. Not just a big one, but maybe the biggest one ever in terms of the number and scope of new laws and rules, she said. Read this full story here.

Climate Task Force Aims to Keep Sacramento County on Track for Cutting Emissions

CapRadio

Sacramento County’s Board of Supervisors was on the cusp of adopting a Climate Action Plan (CAP) this year. But after receiving a flood of public comments accompanying the plan’s final draft, a November email from the county announced their decision to delay a final hearing on its adoption until 2023. The CAP describes measures to cut greenhouse gasses in the county, aiming for net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. It proposes a variety of options for cutting emissions in an effort to reach the target year, from reducing vehicle emissions to the electrification of buildings. Read this full report here.

A Sacramento Program Aims to Transition Gas-reliant Homes to Greener Energy

CapRadio

In the next year, Erendira Daniel, Gardenland resident, will see her home transformed. She’s getting electric air conditioning and a water heater to start. She’ll also be getting an outlet set up in the backyard for charging an electric car — something she doesn’t have nor need, since she doesn’t drive anymore.  But Daniel still thinks it’s an important change. “There’s a lot of benefits, and for climate change as well,” she said in Spanish. “Because in the air, in the atmosphere, we’re breathing in things that aren’t good for us. And the electricity helps us not use other products … and it improves the air.” Continue reading this article here.

Will California Keep Up its Climate Momentum?

CalMatters

California has climate action on the mind. This week state lawmakers, senior officials in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration and prominent environmental leaders are representing California at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, Canada — an appearance that could make a splash on the world stage as Newsom continues to tout his climate credentials. Read this full report here.

California’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Plunged Amidst Pandemic Restrictions, but Climate Gains May Not Hold

Business

California’s greenhouse gas emission fell a remarkable 8.7% in 2020 amidst pandemic-induced economic disruptions and travel restrictions. But while the significant drop in emissions has helped the state make progress toward its 2030 climate targets, it masks a rise in pollution from in-state power generation, as stubbornly-slow renewable energy growth threatens California’s transition to carbon neutrality. At the same time, a drop in emissions from the transportation sector for the third-consecutive year could signal a breakthrough in the state’s largest source of climate pollution, if pandemic-era shifts towards hybrid work remain and electric vehicle adoption continues to rise. Read this full article here.

UN Recognizes 10 Pioneering Initiatives that are Restoring the Natural World

UN Environment Programme

The United Nations has recognized 10 ground-breaking efforts from around the globe for their role in restoring the natural world. The winning initiatives were unveiled at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal and a special virtual gala event featuring actors Jason Momoa and Edward Norton, Dr. Jane Goodall, extreme mountaineer Nirmal Purja, singer Ellie Goulding, UK band Bastille, Chinese celebrity Li Bingbing, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen, FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo and British economist Sir Partha Dasgupta, among others. The gala was hosted by Indian National Geographic Explorer and wildlife filmmaker Malaika Vaz. Read this report in full detail here.

G7 establishes climate club to fight global warming

AP News

The Group of Seven leading economies have created an open, international climate club for countries that want to cooperate in the fight against global warming, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday after a video conference with other G-7 leaders. Germany holds the presidency of the G-7 until the end of the year and then passes it on to Japan. Read more here.

Storm Delivers Punch to Northern California’s Sierra Passes, Flooding Along Valley Roads

The Sacramento Bee

A major winter storm that slammed into Northern California was making driving conditions treacherous Saturday, with Caltrans actively encouraging travelers to stay off roadways. “Crews are working around the clock this weekend on snow removal operations on your Sierra highways,” Caltrans District 3 said in a social media post. “Please be alert for snowplows along the roadway.” Read this full report here.

High Winds Down Powerlines in Sacramento Area, Snow Snarls Sierra Traffic

KCRA3

The threat of last weekend’s wind and rain kept Sacramento city crews busy on Friday. They have spent the last few days collecting leaves off city streets and clearing storm drains to help prevent flooding. “It's not good to see a street flooded,” said resident Sandra Hall. Hall lives under a canopy of trees on 34th Street. She is accustomed to raking up leaves. “I don't mind them,” she laughed. “It's part of life. They grow. Too bad they don't come all down at once." Read this full article here.

Is California’s Drought Over? Water Providers Still Predict Shortages Next Year

CalMatters

December has delivered a powerful punch of storms to California. But the wet weather comes with a dry dose of reality: The state’s largest reservoirs remain badly depleted, projected water deliveries are low, wells are drying up, and the Colorado River’s water, already diminished by a megadrought, is severely overallocated. Read the full article here.

California Snowpack Off to Promising Start, but Drought

Concern Remains

The Washington Post

Winter is off to a running start in California, after a pair of December storms dropped several feet of mountain snow and soaking low-elevation rains across much of the state. Parts of the Sierra Nevada have recorded more than double the expected snowpack for the time of year, and another significant storm could be on the way this weekend. Read this article here.

By the Numbers: California’s Mild 2022 Wildfire Season

CalMatters

As California emerges from its “peak” wildfire season, the state has managed to avoid its recent plague of catastrophic wildfires. So far in 2022, the fewest acres have burned since 2019. State Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci said California had “a bit of luck” with weather this summer. Although enduring yet another drought year, much of the state was spared the worst of the heat and dryness that can spark fires. And in some instances, well-timed rain came to the rescue. Read this full article here.

Why California Wildfires Burned Far Less This Year

Scientific American

California is enjoying fewer extreme wildfires than it has in years, which experts attribute to a combination of summer rain, calm weather and increased forest management. “We are throwing absolutely everything we have at the fire conditions to try to keep people safe,” said Brian Ferguson, spokesperson at the California Office of Emergency Services. “But we’ve also got lucky and had some support from Mother Nature.” Continue reading this article here.