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Resources for Adaptation Planning

For general information on climate change adaptation strategies and nationwide case studies, visit Coastal Climate Change

Below is a list of resources on climate change adaptation that are specifically relevant to the San Francisco Bay Area.

  • State and Regional Climate Change Science and Impacts
    • The Climate Gap
      Report "analyzes data on the disparate impacts of climate change and climate change mitigation policies on low socioeconomic status (SES) groups in the United States that is relevant to the California context."  Includes recommendations for addressing the gap issues identified in the report.
    • California Climate Action Team Reports
      Links to information about California's Climate Action Team, reports about climate impacts, and adaptation strategy.
    • Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States. June 2009
      The report summarizes the science and the impacts of climate change on the United States, now and in the future. It focuses on climate change impacts in different regions of the U.S. and on various aspects of society and the economy such as energy, water, agriculture, and health. It’s also a report written in plain language, with the goal of better informing public and private decision making at all levels. Scale of discussion is not refined enough to be directly applicable to most Bay Area planning decisions, but overview of impacts in "Regional Climate Change Impacts" (Southwest) and Climate Change Impacts by Sector" are good overviews.
    • California Climate Change Research Center
      Links to numerous reports of climate change research in CA. Of particular interest to planners are the reports under the "Impacts and Adaptations" and "Climate Monitoring, Analysis and Modeling" categories.
    • BCDC Climate Change Planning Program
      Links to maps and draft (April 2009) report on sea level rise impacts to SF Bay and its shoreline.
    • Pacific Institute Impacts of Sea Level Rise on the California Coast
      Links to sea level rise inundation maps, GIS data downloads of inundation information, and the Institute's report (May 2009) on vulnerabilities of the CA coast to impacts of sea level rise. Includes cost estimates for replacing lost/damaged infrastructure as well as pro-active measures to protect infrastructure. Report includes separate values/analysis for SF Bay Area.
    • California Coastal Conservancy Climate Change Resources
      Links to power points from a series of excellent presentations by scientific experts (hosted by the CA Coastal Conservancy) concerning impacts of climate change to natural systems in CA.
    • Coastal Climate Adaptation
      Exhaustive and well-organized list of adaptation resources from international to local levels. (Managed by NOAA Coastal Services Center).

  • Adaptation Planning Principles and Process
  • Engaging Communities and Decision-Makers
    • Yale Project on Climate Change Communication
      Website with excellent (and readable) background info on the latest research concerning climate change communication. Be sure to check out the “Americans’ Knowledge of Climate Change” and “2010 Global Warming’s Six Americas Report.”
    • Public Listening Sessions: Sea Level Rise and Population Growth in North Carolina
      Fascinating report of a series of public listening sessions held in NC to help the public learn about sea level rise and population growth in the Abermarle-Pamlico region and give participants opoprtunities to share their concerns about potential impacts of these issues.
    • The Psychology of Climate Change Communication: A Guide for Scientists, Journalists, Educators, Political Aides and the Interested Public
      Almost like a cartoon guide to strategies for climate change communication. (But don't let this description deter you from checking it out!) Summarizes research findings on effective and ineffective communication of climate change issues and provides specific guidance/suggestions for improving your communication methods and messages, and for avoiding costly pitfalls in outreach efforts.
    • Communicating on Climate Change: An Essential Resource for Journalists, Scientists, and Educators
      This report is the product of a series of un­precedented workshops that brought the na­tion’s top climate scientists and leading sci­ence and environmental journalists together to discuss media coverage and communica­tion of climate change science. Although the target audience is not local governments, the issues identified here and lessons learned are helpful insights for anyone communicating climate change.
    • Climate Witness Community Toolkit [ adobe pdf ]
      Toolkit prepared by WWF describes participatory methodologies to document local impacts of climate change and to devise appropriate adaptation measures that local communities can implement themselves. These techniques were developed for use in Pacific South West communities, so some of them are clearly not applicable in the SF Bay Area. BUT, keep an open mind and consider how some of these methods (or modified versions of them) might be unique yet effective community engagement tools for climate change adaptation in Bay Area communities. Check out the Climate Witness in Action link for examples of how these methodologies have been put into practice.
    • Common Sense California
      Links to reports, studies and op eds about civic engagement (under the News & Resources link) as well as case studies of civic engagement projects (under Projects link) compiled by CSC, a non-profit (non-partisan) organization with the state mission to "engage the citizens of this state in the policy decisions that affect our everyday lives." CSC works with city governments, school districts, and civic organizations to sponsor, advocate for and consult on community engagement efforts.

  • Tools, Data Sources and Example Adaptation Actions
    • ICLEI Climate Resilient Communities Program
      Adaptation-specific information, case studies and tools for local governments from ICLEI-USA's Climate Resilient Communities (CRC) Program that was launched in December 2010.
    • UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP)
      Link to UKCIP with adaptation case studies, planning tools and publications. Although this is an international organization based at Oxford University, its work is relevant to Bay Area local planners and resource managers. The organization has extensive experience and a history of success in working with businesses and organisations to help them assess how they might be affected by climate change, so they can prepare for its impacts. The UKCIP resources are available for free, but the site requires registration to view them."
    • Adapting to Climate Change Impacts: A Good-Practice Guide for Sustainable Communities [ adobe pdf ]
      Guidance and ideas for integrating adaptation into sustainable development (Section 2.3, beginning page 18), and examples of adaptation actions/plans in the case studies reports (Part 4, starts page 43). Also check out the case study companion Adapting to climate change: A case study companion to the checklist for development.
    • Goals Project. 1999. Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals. Prepared by the San Francisco Bay Area Wetlands Ecosystem Goals Project [adobe pdf ]
      A report of baylands habitat recommendations that includes information on existing stressors on wetlands habitats and species that may help local planners assess vulnerabilities of shoreline habitat to climate change impacts. Additionally, Chapter 6 on restoration provides practical information on costs, design, and management of wetlands restoration projects that may be relevant to projects that employ habitat buffers for protection against shoreline flooding.
    • San Francisco Stormwater Design Guidelines [ adobe pdf ]
      Draft report of design guidelines provides thorough review of low impact development (LID) principles integration into stormwater design guidelines in the urban watershed. Excellent illustrations and numerous examples of how the design guidelines are put into practice.  (Note that SF is by no means the first to use LID in stormwater design. However, of the documents on the topic, this is a nice example of a design guidance document.)
    • Low Impact Development (LID): A Sensible Approach to Land Development and Stormwater Management [adobe pdf ]
      Overview of low impact development (LID) techniques for stormwater management in residential areas. Looks at benefits and challenges of LID, and ways to address challenges.

    • Rising Seas, Coastal Erosion, and the Takings Clause: How to Save Wetlands and Beaches without Hurting Property Owners
      Legal analysis that examines "land use planning options by which coastal states might retain some of their public trust tidelands in perpetuity no matter how much the sea rises at least in areas that have not yet been developed. A key assumption of this analysis is that policies should protect coastal property values. " Great review (from legal perspective) of various policy tools available to land use planners and how they play out with rising sea level. (Does not really deliver on its promise (in the title) but definitely valuable information.)

    • Applying Social Science to Coastal Management
      Excellent (and accessible) resources from NOOA Coastal Services Center specifically to help coastal planners make effective use of social science applications in their work. Site has tools, how-to-guides and case studies for various social science applications such as surveys, focus groups, community mapping and much more.
    • WestMap Climate Analysis & Mapping Toolbox
      Click on California on the map to go to an interactive mapping tool that allows the user to create timeseries graphs of precipitation or temperatures by county. Although the maps solely represent historic conditions, they could be useful illustrations of climate variabilities at local scale.
    • Tools: CanVis
      Link to CanVis, a visualization program used to "see" potential impacts from coastal development or sea level rise. Users can download background pictures and insert the objects (hotel, house, marina, or other objects) of their choosing. The software is used by municipalities to brainstorm new ideas and policies, undertake project planning, and make presentations. 
    • California Climate Tracker
      Excellent state and sub-regional climate data from historic and real-time climate sensors. Allows user to construct map and data graphics on precipitation and temperature trends.
    • USGS CaSCADE Project
      Link to an ongoing integrated set of projects that take regional projections of precipitation, temperature, and sea level rise and model the cascading effects on Bay-Delta morphology and species. Include publication list and data from downscaled models. NOTE: Under "Other Documents" heading, look for link to Google Earth overlay files for sea level rise in SF Bay (under "Potential Inundation due to Rising Sea Levels in the San Francisco Bay Region, Noah Knowles, 2008.") GIS ESRI software-compatible sea level rise data are also downloadable from "San Francisco Bay" link.
    • NOAA Coastal Services Center CA County Snapshots
      Demographic and vulnerability information for CA counties.
    • Envision Bay Area (Beta)
      This planning tool lets you experiment with different scenarios to see what different futures would look like.
    • ABAG San Francisco Bay Area Local Hazard Mitigation Planning
      Links under "Hazards Maps and Information" to interactive maps showing areas at risk of flooding, wildfire, landslide, etc. (based on historic data).
    • USEPA Adaptation Options Relevant to Estuarine Management Goals
      Review of on-the-ground adaptation options available to coastal managers to reduce their systems' vulnerability to climate change impacts.  For each option, the review describes what climate stressor and additional management goals are addressed, benefits and constraints of the option, and examples of specific locations where the option has been implemented (where available).
    • Managed Retreat Strategies
      Description of managed retreat as an adaptation strategy to address issues caused by sea level rise and increased storm surge and erosion. Describes 2 example managed retreat projects in Pacifica and Ventura California.
    • Four California Coast LID & Permeable Pavement Workshops: Reining in the Rain: Watershed-Friendly “Low Impact Development” Site Design & Permeable Pavements for Stormwater Management
      Presentations and speaker contact information for 4 workshops held in April 2008 by the CA Coastal Commission on low impact development. Participants learned about "practical application, design, implementation, and maintenance of LID techniques, and their economic and ecological benefits, from industry experts and local practitioners with first-hand experience."
    • Installing and Using: Greywater
      Fact sheet from the Ecology Center in Berkeley about how to design, install and use greywater systems for homes. The Center’s building has the first permitted greywater system in CA. The fact sheet has links to resources for learning more (e.g. classes), buying kits and design drawings for the Center’s system.
    • Massachusetts SmartStorm Coasts
      Website provides info on how to address the challenges arising from storms, floods, sea level rise, and climate change, and provides a menu of tools for successful coastal floodplain management. Although the site is Massachusetts-centric, it is worth the time to check out the links (and sublinks) under "StormSmart Coasts Buildling Blocks" and "Background and Resources".  Site resources range from legal analyses of "No Adverse Impact", to guidance on how to interpret FIRMs, to an example bylaw for accommodating projected sea level rise in development.

    • Rising Tides San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)
      Webpage for a design competition held by BCDC in July 2009 for innovative designs for addressing sea level rise in estuaries. Winning ideas are posted and BCDC plans to make all entries available.

  • Case Studies and Example Adaptation Plans
    • King County, WA Climate Plan [adobe pdf ]
      Comprehensive, well-organized adaptation section with clear and proactive adaptation strategies and initiatives. Pages 99-138.
    • City of Chula Vista, CA Climate Change Working Group
      Links to all of the planning documents and resources for the city’s adaptation planning effort.
    • Marin Countywide Plan [ adobe pdf ]
      Great example GP policy language for adaptation in GOAL AIR-5 and its corresponding policies (starts page 2-105).
    • Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Chapter 6 Adapting to a Changing Climate [adobe pdf ]
      With the stated goal of making "Berkeley resilient to the impacts of climate change" the plan identifies policies and implementation actions for achieving this goal. The implementation actions are primarily ones that can be implemented without further analysis of climate change vulnerabilities, and are extensions of existing sustainable practices.

    • City of Oakland Climate Action Plan (Draft) [adobe pdf ]
      Oakland’s Climate Action Plan includes recommendations for priority actions to improve the city’s resilience to climate change impacts. (pp.33, 49 and 73)

    • City of Pinole Environmental Impact Report for the General Plan Update
      Example of an EIR for a General Plan update that summarizes the potential impacts of climate change for the City and then integrates these issues into relevant GP chapters as policies and/or mitigations

    • City of Homer Climate Action Plan [ adobe pdf ]
      Has Adaptation section (begins page 37) with a very well-written introduction that clearly and concisely lays out the reasons why adaptation (in addition to mitigation) is essential for Homer and, in general, the climate change-related impacts and issues that the city needs to address. Recommendations are aimed at creating a resilient local economy, protecting existing infrastructure, being prepared for extreme weather events and wildfires, and adopting wise policies for future development.

    • Cedar Grove Mobile Home Park Acquisition
      Case study of a community subject to repeated flooding. The county purchased the land and worked with residents to relocate.
  • State and Regional Adaptation Policy and Planning Efforts

    • State of California Sea Level Rise Interim  Guidance (pdf)  This document provides guidance for incorporating sea-level rise (SLR) projections into planning and decision making for projects in California. Developed by the Sea-Level Rise Task Force of the Coastal and Ocean Working Group of the California Climate Action Team (CO-CAT), with science support provided by the Ocean Protection Council’s Science Advisory Team and the California Ocean Science Trust. October 2010

    • California Climate Adaptation Strategy
      Addresses climate change impacts, risks and adaptation strategies for six different sectors in CA: Public Health, Biodiversity and Habitat, Ocean and Coastal Resources, Water Management, Agriculture, Forestry, and Transportation and Energy Infrastructure. Note that in the "Preliminary Recommendations" (starts page 7), recommendations 3, 5 and 9 are specifically applicable to local planning agencies.

    • Bay Area Regional Agency Climate Protection Program
      Adopted Joint Policy Committee action on climate change (adopted August 2007). JPC consists of 4 regional agencies: Association of Bay Area Governments, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Bay Conservation and Development Commission,and Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Document describes goals and strategies of the JPC Joint Action on the Regional Climate Protection Program, and the roles of the different regional agencies in implementing the program.

    • A Summary of the Coastal Commission’s Involvement in Climate Change and Global Warming Issues for a Briefing to the Coastal Commission
      An update of Coastal Commission activities on climate change.

    • Climate change research needs for the San Francisco Bay coastal sector [adobe pdf ]
      On September 24, 2008, BCDC hosted a research forum for regional experts in policy, planning, science, and engineering. The forum focused on research for identifying vulnerability to, projecting future impacts from, and developing effective adaptation strategies for Bay area climate change. The discussion groups focused on: physical processes of the Bay and habitat conservation, shoreline development, and social science, legal and policy issues. The research ideas generated from the forum and through ongoing partnerships with Bay area agencies, governments, and research institutions are summarized in this document.

    • Climate Change Adaptation Efforts at the State and Bay Area Regional Levels [ adobe pdf ]
      This is a write-up of a information presented by Sam Schuchat (Executive Officer, State Coastal Conservancy, and Secretary, Ocean Protection Council), Nadine Hitchcock (Deputy Executive Officer, State Coastal Conservancy) and Steve Goldbeck, (Deputy Director for Climate Change and Legislation, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development (BCDC)) at Planning for Climate Change Workshops offered September 22 and 23, 2009 in Oakland and Sunnyvale, CA
    • Update on Guidance for Addressing Climate Change Impacts in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Review. [ pdf ]
      This is a write-up of a summary on presented by Sara Polgar, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development (BCDC) at Planning for Climate Change Workshops offered September 22 and 23, 2009 in Oakland and Sunnyvale, CA.
    • Using the Public Trust Doctrine to Adapt to Climate Change in San Francisco Bay [ adobe pdf ]
    • Executive Orders S-13-08
      Executive order from Governor directing the CA Resources Agency to initiate a National Academy of Sciences Sea Level Rise Assessment for CA coast; development of a CA Climate Adaptation Strategy; use of a range of scenarios for sea level rise in planning for construction projects; and OPR and Resources Agency to develop state land-use planning guidance related to sea level rise and other climate change impacts.

    • California Climate Action Team & Climate Action Initiative
      Links to information about California's programs to reduce GHG emissions, reports about climate impacts, and adaptation strategy.