addressing climate change adaptation in regional transportation plans

Addressing Climate Change Adaptation in Regional Transportation PlansA Guide for California MPOs and RTPAsare one area that may be affected by climate change and climate change has thepotential to alter the type, frequency and severity of already existing naturalhazards.The purpose of hazard mitigation is to reduce potential losses from futuredisasters. The intent of mitigation planning, therefore, is to maintain a processthat leads to hazard mitigation actions. For those communities with existingLocal Hazard Mitigation Plans, they must be updated at least once every fiveyears in order to continue to be eligible for FEMA hazard mitigation project grantfunding.Because hazard planning relies on historic event probabilities to predict futureneeds, the process does not provide a complete assessment of potential futureclimate impacts, and thus must be supplemented with climate change adaptationplanning.Leverage the University CommunityUniversities often have the best local knowledge of the literature and datapertaining to climate change impacts. Because climate information isdownscaled from global climate models to state or regional projections, theresolution is less accurate the smaller thegeographic region. For specific impacts,researchers at local universities often have themost appropriate and specific assessment of localclimate change. For instance Fresno COG refers toFresno State for local climate knowledge andSBCAG has a more precise understanding of sealevelrise impacts from research developed at theUniversity of California Santa Barbara.Cultivating University PartnershipsFresno State University (FSU) has served as avaluable resource on climate information forFresno County. In 2010, FSU organizedclimate change adaptation workshopsattended by local leaders and technicalexperts to address climate impacts thatFresno County will likely experience. Fromthat workshop came a suite of strategies tohelp the County adapt to the specificprojected effects. The recommendations forincreasing the area’s resilience addressed abroad range of topics, includingsocioeconomic systems, such as emergencypreparedness and infrastructure, as well asspecies and ecosystems.Identify Other Non Transportation EffortsRegional climate adaptation planning hasadvanced quickly in other fields besidestransportation planning. Many existing local andregional plans incorporate climate impacts andadaptation planning in sectors such as water,utilities, agriculture, public health and wastemanagement and have already developedstrategies that are effective for certain types ofinfrastructure and services. Developing adaptationpolicy through the RTP process can leverageexisting policies from other non transportation efforts through the periodic planupdate process.Source: ClimateWise, 2011, IntegratedStrategies for a Vibrant and SustainableFresno County.Some cities and regions have a stand-alone climate adaptation plan that providesa comprehensive adaptation strategy for a jurisdiction that integrates the many8-6 Cambridge Systematics, Inc.