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Climate Mitigation and Adaptation News
August 8 , 2018
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A biweekly newsletter of the Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative
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The Mendocino Complex fire has become
the largest in California's recorded history - overtaking the record set by the Thomas Fire in less than a year - and our thoughts an. The Capital Region is facing significant wildfire smoke impacts from wildfires around California, and in response, the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District has launched
a new wildfire smoke information portal. The page contains many resources, including real-time air quality data, an embedded
CalFire map, current fire information, links to satellite images and models, and more. As you plan your summer activities, please check the air quality first to protect your health!
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Climate change is supercharging a hot and dangerous summer
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Graphic_ Lauren Tierney_The Washington Post
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This is a hot, strange and dangerous summer across the planet. In Sodankyla, Finland, the thermometer on July 17 registered a record-breaking 90 degrees, a remarkable figure given that Sodankyla is 59 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Greece is in mourning after scorching heat and high winds fueled wildfires that have killed more than 80 people. Japan recorded its highest temperature in history, 106 degrees, in a heat wave that killed 65 people in a week and hospitalized 22,000, shortly after catastrophic flooding killed 200. The brutal weather has been supercharged by human-induced climate change, scientists say. Climate models for three decades have predicted exactly what the world is seeing this summer. And they predict that it will get hotter - and that what is a record today could someday be the norm. (
Washington Post)
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Scientists predict major increase in heatwave deaths as world warms
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A
global study on future heat waves in 400 communities in 20 countries delivers a stark warning that deaths will increase dramatically in tropical and subtropical regions, followed closely by Australia, Europe and the United States. Assuming high population growth and a severe, business-as-usual climate scenario - and no special adaptation efforts - heat wave mortalities could increase by up to 2,000 percent in Colombia. Even under best-case scenarios - where GHG emissions were curbed and population increases low - deaths would increase. In the US, a mild climate trajectory and a low population growth scenario results in a 129 percent increase in heat wave deaths within the next 50 years, but jumps to a 496 percent increase in mortality under a high climate change and population growth scenario. (
Reuters)
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Unsurvivable heatwaves could strike heart of China by end of century
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Photo: Ng Han Guan/AP
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The deadliest place on the planet for extreme future heatwaves will be the north China plain, one of the most densely populated regions in the world.
New research shows that humid heatwaves that kill even healthy people within hours will strike the area repeatedly towards the end of the century thanks to climate change. The analysis assesses the impact of climate change on the deadly combination of heat and humidity, which is measured as the "wet bulb" temperature (WBT). Once the WBT reaches 35C, the air is so hot and humid that the human body cannot cool itself by sweating, and even fit people sitting in the shade die within six hours. (
Guardian).
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Extreme global weather is 'the face of climate change' says leading scientist
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| Photo: Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Images |
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The extreme heatwaves and wildfires wreaking havoc around the globe are "the face of climate change," one of the world's leading climate scientists has declared, with the impacts of global warming now "playing out in real time." The current heatwave has been caused by an extraordinary stalling of the northern hemisphere jet stream; this stalling is being increasingly firmly linked to global warming, in particular to the rapid heating of the Arctic and resulting loss of sea ice. (
Guardian)
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| A vicious cycle: Droughts are becoming hotter, raising risk of wildfire |
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Photo: Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times |
A team of scientists found that places experiencing drought conditions also see greater increase in average temperatures than do non-drought drought places in large parts of the US. In the northeastern, midwestern, southeastern and southwestern United States, drought-struck regions warmed more than four times as much as those with average weather conditions. This may be driven by a lack of evaporative cooling available during droughts, and may in turn increase the risk of wildfires and heat waves. (
LA Times)
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| Wildfire smoke: experts warn of 'serious health effects' across western US |
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Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
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Wildfire smoke can trigger asthma attacks or, more chronically, lead to heart problems and has even been linked to the development of cancer. While overall air quality has improved in the US over the past 30 years, wildfire-prone states in the northwest are a glaring exception and are actually getting worse, new research has found. (
Guardian)
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| Scientists link air pollution to changes in heart structure associated with heart failure |
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Photo: Nick Ansell/PA
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Exposure to nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5 and PM10, is linked to an increase in the size of the left and right heart ventricles. These changes can affect heart performance and are often linked with early stages of heart failure. The finding could help explain the increased number of deaths seen in areas with high levels of dirty air. (
Guardian)
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| How climate change is making disasters like the Carr Fire more likely |
Climate change is changing how wildfires behave, making them more destructive and difficult to predict. If you ask the crews on the ground, they will tell you it's not just the hot and dry weather that's making fires worse. Firefighters have noted recently that fires are behaving differently than they did in the past. (
Washington Post)
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| As California burns, many fear the future of extreme fire has arrived |
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Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Recent wildfires in California are notable for their ferocity. At least six people have died, including two firefighters, in the past month in fires that continue to blaze, and 44 died as a result of last year's wine country fires. The conflagrations have also spawned bizarre pyrotechnics, from firenados to towering pyrocumulus clouds that evoke a nuclear detonation. These events are not aberrations, say experts. They are California's future. (
Guardian)
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| Green upgrade: How California Is pioneering 'energy justice' |
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Photo: GRID Alternatives
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While Jerry Brown has made headlines as President Trump's resister-in-chief on climate change, California has also taken the lead on a lesser-known front: confronting the interwoven issues of poverty and pollution by funneling hundreds of millions of cap-and-trade dollars into bringing free renewable energy, energy efficient upgrades, and technical assistance to the dwellings of its most vulnerable citizens. The main vehicle so far has been the $38 million Low-Income Weatherization Program (LIWP), which has reduced energy use by an estimated average of 44 percent for participants since the initiative began in 2016. LIWP's initial focus has been on the places where the vast majority of poor people live - low-income multifamily rental properties. (
Link)
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Funding Climate Adaptation Implementation - Challenges and Opportunities in Sacramento and the Delta
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The San Francisco Federal Reserve Board and the Governor's Office of Planning and Research hosted a day-long workshop on July 13 to discuss pathways for investment in climate adaptation and resilience in Sacramento and the Delta. The event focused on how adaptation and resilience investments can be responsive to the local economic and community development needs of both rural and urban communities. These presentations from the event address climate change
impacts on the Delta (Dr. Jay Lund) and
vulnerable communities (Dr. Helene Margolis).
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C40: Climate Action Planning Resource Centre
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C40's Climate Action Planning Resource Centre brings together a wide range of resources and tools to support city climate planners in the process of delivering action consistent with the Paris Agreement. Resources and tools cover climate mitigation, adaptation, inclusive climate action, and more, and new resources and tools will be added as they become available. (
Link)
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Vibrant Cities Lab helps to make the case of urban forestry and green space
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The free Vibrant Cities Lab offers easy access to the best available science about the impact of trees and green space on economic development, public health, transportation, equity or water quality - 11 impact areas overall. Each impact area offers curated research, case studies, policies and plans from around the country. The web portal also offers a step-by-step guide and assessment tool to help communities make sustainable urban trees a reality. This tool is designed to help foresters and other municipal staff expand awareness of the benefits of urban trees and implement science-based, proven best practices for growing an urban canopy. (
Link)
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Climate Change Adaptation Workshops: A Planning Guide for Local Government Staff
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This short guide by the Alameda County Office of Sustainability helps local agencies identify and implement feasible, near-term steps to prepare for climate change impacts such as extreme heat or smoke in the air. This guide outlines a methodology to help you facilitate a team toward identifying tangible adaptation initiatives and securing necessary ownership and approvals. (
Link)
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FY 2019-2020 SB 1 Final Draft Grant Application Guides for Public Review
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Caltrans is seeking public and stakeholder input on the Final Draft Grand Application Guides for the SB1 Sustainable Communities and Adaptation Planning Grants. Comments are due by 5pm on August 22. Stakeholders and the public will have a final opportunity to provide feedback during two public workshops in Sacramento (August 29) and Los Angeles (September 5). (
Link)
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| SACOG launches $11.76 million Green Region program |
The Green Region program is aimed at helping our region's transportation system emit fewer emissions while continuing to function effectively and efficiently. The program focuses on five groups of projects: personal vehicles, shared rides and vehicles, public and private microtransit and shuttles, medium and heavy duty fleets, and disadvantaged communities. Deadline: August 24, 4pm. In addition, the Transportation Demand Management Innovations Grant and Traditional Grant program has $750,000 and $250,000, respectively, available (
Link)
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California Air Resources Board: Call for Research Proposals
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The California Air Resources Board is now accepting research concepts from the general public on topics including health and environmental justice, air quality, climate and cross-cutting research initiatives. Concepts are due by August 24 at 5pm. (
Link)
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CAL FIRE Fire Prevention Grant Program
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California Fire Safe Council will be re-opening the 2018 Fire Prevention Grants Program for $5.45 million in funding for fire prevention education, planning and hazardous fuels reduction projects. The 30-day extension will encourage applicants to utilize CAL FIRE's 2018 California Climate Investments Fire Prevention grants to meet the match requirement, but all eligible organizations are encouraged to apply. Application re-opened from August 1-30, 2018. (
Link)
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4th National Adaptation Forum: Call for Proposals Extended
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Proposals are being accepted for Symposia, Training Sessions, Working Groups, Oral Presentations, Posters, and the Tools Cafe. Submissions should reflect the best thinking in the adaptation field, informed by theory, research and practice on subjects related to identified focal topics and cross-cutting themes. Deadline has been extended to September 4, 2018. (
Link)
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Land and Water Conservation Fund Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program
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This program provides grants to acquire and/or develop public lands for outdoor recreation purposes consistent with the purposes of the LWCF, but with the further specific goals of funding projects that are located within or serve jurisdictions delineated by the Census Bureau as urbanized areas, and are in or directly accessible to neighborhoods or communities that are underserved in terms of parks and recreation resources, and where there are significant populations of people who are economically disadvantaged. Deadline: September 14. (
Link)
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California River Parkways Grant
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The California Natural Resources Agency will be accepting concept proposals for the California River Parkways grant program. Awards in the approximate amount of $7 million will be funded by Proposition 68 for purposes of the California River Parkways Act of 2004. Technical Assistance Workshops will be held in Sacramento on August 14. Deadline: September 27. (
Link)
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EPA: 7th Annual Campus Rainworks Challenge
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The Campus RainWorks Challenge is a green infrastructure design competition open to colleges and universities across the country. The challenge seeks to engage with students to foster a dialogue about stormwater management and showcase the environmental, economic, and social benefits of green infrastructure practices. Registration is from September 1-30. (
Link)
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Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Mini Grant Program
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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)
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USDA: Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants
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This program helps eligible rural and tribal communities prepare, or recover from, an emergency that threatens the availability of safe, reliable drinking water. Applications accepted continuously. (
Link)
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| Technical Assistance Workshop: California River Parkways Grant Program
Tuesday, August 14, 9.30am-noon
Natural Resources Building, Room 1131, 1416 Ninth St., Sacramento
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This technical assistance workshop will provide information on the California River Parkways grant program from the California Natural Resources Agency. (
Link)
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| Sierra Nevada Alliance Conference: Regional Resilience
August 15-17, Kings Beach, CA
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Attendees will collaborate and learn innovative ways to enhance the ecological resiliency of the Sierra. There are many opportunities and constraints that stand before us, but as a true alliance we can succeed. The Sierra Nevada Alliance is planning a progressive, provocative agenda, with many networking opportunities, and fun to be had throughout. (
Link)
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| Webinar: Governing for Racial Equity: California's State-Level Capitol Cohort
Tuesday, August 21, 1.30-2.30pm
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Race Forward's Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) has grown into a powerful movement across the United States, with especially strong leadership in California from local governments and state agencies. In 2018, the California Health in All Policies (HiAP) Task Force partnered with Race Forward to launch the first state-level GARE cohort. The HiAP Capitol Cohort brings together 19 departments and agencies for a yearlong learning and capacity building pilot project, and is paving the way for implementation of racial equity strategies in state government. This webinar will feature racial equity leaders from the California HiAP and Capitol Cohort. Presenters will share how they have secured political will for racial equity work, how this work is being pursued by individual departments and agencies, what implementation looks like, and what challenges and opportunities (both anticipated and unexpected) are emerging. (
Register)
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| ARRCA Learning Session - Hope for Our Coast: Conserving California's Coastal Habitats in the Face of Sea Level Rise
Tuesday, August 21, 2-3pm
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Join ARCCA to learn about The Nature Conservancy and the Coastal Conservancy's recently completed statewide assessment: Conserving California's Coastal Habitats: A Legacy and a Future with Sea Level Rise. This comprehensive assessment quantifies and maps the vulnerability of California's coastal habitats, imperiled species, and conservation lands to sea level rise, as well as opportunities for conservation. Learn about the vulnerability assessment, conservation strategies, and how the team is using the results to unite stakeholders around a vision of collective action to maintain California's coastal habitats into the future. (
Register)
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| Online Course: Post-Disaster Recovery Planning - Before & After
August 21-22, 2018
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Sustainable City Network will host a 4-hour online course for staff responsible for initiatives related to resilience and disaster recovery planning. The first 2-hour session will review the overall concept of recovery planning and the need for widespread involvement by various sectors of the community. The second segment will walk participants through information gathering, assessing the scale and spectrum of the disaster, and how to involve the public in meaningful long-term recovery planning. Cost is $286 when purchased by Aug 3. (
Register)
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| Webinar: Sustainability in the City of New York
Thursday, August 23, 11am PDT
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There is a disconnect between our concern for our planet and the actions we need to take to stop climate change. At the local level, NYC is delivering ambitious policies, but government action alone will not suffice. In the face of a changing climate, there has never been a greater need or opportunity for technologists, designers, artists, and interdisciplinary minds to dedicate their craft to building a just and sustainable future for all. Presenter Mark Chambers is an urbanist, an architect, and the director of sustainability for Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYC. (
Register)
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| APA Speaker Series: Housing in the Evolving Suburb: The Sacramento Story
Friday, August 24, 8.30-10.30am
West Sacramento Community Center, 1075 West Capitol Avenue, West Sacramento
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Even as many urban cores and downtown neighborhoods attract new residents, the suburban housing market is evolving rapidly. Suburbs continue to be well-positioned to maintain their relevance into the foreseeable future as preferred places to live and work. A report by ULI, Housing in the Evolving American Suburb, talks about key issues that will shape suburban residential demand and development in the years ahead. The report points out that healthy regions and housing markets require a range of housing choices for households of different backgrounds, means, and stages of life. This session will examine the Sacramento suburban story and the challenges of providing housing whether market rate or affordable. (
Link)
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| 3rd California Adaptation Forum
August 27-29, 2018, Sacramento, CA
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Join the Local Government Commission and the State of California at the 3rd California Adaptation Forum taking place August 27-29 in Sacramento. The Forum gathers a multidisciplinary audience of 600+ climate leaders to foster knowledge exchange, innovation, and mutual support to transition from adaptation awareness to planning and action through a series of engaging plenaries, sessions, workshops, networking activities, and more. (
Link)
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| Webinar: Fall Webinar Series on Transformational Resilience for Climate Change
September 6, 11, 13, 18, all noon-1pm
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A major ecological--turned mental health--turned social--turned humanitarian crisis is underway that has yet to be fully acknowledged or addressed: the harmful impacts of climate change on personal mental health and psycho-social-spiritual well-being. This webinar series will explain these dynamics and how building widespread capacity for Transformational Resilience locally and globally can help minimize these harmful reactions and spur shifts thinking, behaviors, and policies that actually increase individual, social, and ecological wellbeing. Webinars will cover the Resilient Growth model, organizational resilience, and community resilience. (
Link)
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Climate Change: Science, Impacts, Politics and Solutions - A Sac State Renaissance Society Seminar Course
Saturdays, 10:00-11:45am, Sept 8 - Dec 8, 2018
California State University, Sacramento
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This course will cover basic climate science (how our climate system works); climate history; the expert scientific consensus on human-caused global warming, including detection, risks and impacts. The Big-5 Carbon Polluters: (U.S., China, EU, India, Russia); how ongoing climate change is affecting extreme & unpredictable events: e.g.- temperature, rainfall, hurricanes, wildfires, sea level rise. How politics has shaped the climate change discussion and will do so in the future. The Paris Climate Agreement; why our Military is taking this VERY seriously; alternative energy sources; geo-engineering, economic and policy solutions; and how EACH OF US can make a
difference... locally, and globally. Registration Begins August 20. (
Link)
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| Managing Lands in a Changing Climate to Improve Agricultural Resiliency, Food Security and Health Symposium
Monday, September 10, UC Davis Mondavi Center
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Hosted by UC Davis and the California Department of Conservation, this symposium will focus on innovative strategies and actions that have the greatest promise to promote agricultural resiliency, food security, and health, with a long-term view to sustaining ecosystem and agricultural services as well as population and planetary health outcomes. The event is affiliated with the
Global Climate Action Summit (September 12-14) in San Francisco. (
Link)
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| UC Davis at the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS)
September 11-12, 555 Market Street, San Francisco
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UC Davis will host four official affiliate sessions on Tuesday, September 11 and Wednesday, September 12 to bring together GCAS attendees around key topics related to climate resilience, energy, transportation, and public policy: topics that would benefit from increased collaboration and in which UC Davis has demonstrated leadership and expertise. UC Davis will also host an evening reception on Tuesday, September 11, open to all session attendees. (
Link)
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10th Biennial Bay-Delta Science Conference - Our Estuary at an Intersection
September 10-12, Sacramento Convention Center
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The Biennial Bay-Delta Science Conference is a forum for presenting technical analyses and results relevant to the Delta Science Program's mission to provide the best possible, unbiased, science-based information for water and environmental decision-making in the Bay-Delta system. The goal of the conference is to offer new information and syntheses to the broad community of scientists, engineers, resource managers, and stakeholders working on Bay-Delta issues. (
Link)
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| EPA Heat Island Webinar - Cool Fixes for Hot Cities Part 2: Los Angeles
Wednesday, September 12, 11am-12.30pm
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Part 2 of the Cool Fixes for Hot Cities webcast series will cover Los Angeles' cool streets pilot project and other heat island reduction measures. The innovative pilot is in progress on 15 blocks throughout the city and is already generating benefits and lessons learned. Learn more about the pilot, the benefits of cool pavements, and LA's plans to reduce temperatures citywide. (
Register)
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About the Capital Region Climate
Readiness
Collaborative
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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.
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