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Identifying and Overcoming Barriers to Climate Change Adaptation in San Francisco Bay: Results from Case Studies
July 2012
This white paper from the California Energy Commission's California Climate Change Center, examines five case studies from the San Francisco Bay region (Hayward, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Marin Counties, and the regional adaptation process) to identify the ongoing adaptation processes, the climate adaptation barriers encountered by local government entities, and further develop a diagnostic framework for managing these barriers. Relevant data were collected through key informant interviews, public documents, observation of and/or participation in public meetings, and a statewide survey.
Resource Category: Planning
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Social Vulnerability to Climate Change in California
July 2012
The objective of this project was to identify geographic areas within California with heightened risk to projected climate change impacts, to be applied as a guide to policymakers and affected communities on where to focus climate adaptation efforts. This study from the Pacific Institute addresses social vulnerability, or the susceptibility of a given community to harm, to climate change across the state.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Heather Cooley, Eli Moore, Matthew Heberger, Lucy Allen
Resource Category: Assessments
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City of Santa Barbara, California Sea-Level Rise Vulnerability Study
July 2012
This study assesses the vulnerability of the City of Santa Barbara to future sea. level rise and related coastal hazards (by 2050 and 2100). It also evaluates the likely impacts of coastal hazards to specific areas of the City, analyzes their risks and the City’s ability to respond, and recommends potential adaptation responses. This white paper was prepared by the University of California, Santa Cruz - which is a part of a larger study funded by the Public Interest Environmental Research Program of the California Energy Commission.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Gary Griggs, Nicole Russel
Resource Category: Assessments
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Looking Up: How Green Roofs and Cool Roofs Can Reduce Energy Use, Address Climate Change, and Protect Water Resources in Southern California
June 2012
This report shares the results of a new study from the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA School of Law, on the many benefits of green roofs and cool roofs for communities in southern California. Some of those benefits are quantified, including building cooling energy savings, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and, for green roofs, stormwater volume reduction. Policy recommendations to achieve these benefits are provided as well.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Noah Garrison, Cara Horowitz, Chris Ann Lunghino
Resource Category: Solutions
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Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present and Future
June 2012
This study provides the first comprehensive regional projections of the changes in sea level expected in California, Oregon, and Washington - posing serious risks to the infrastructure, development, and wetlands along this 1,600 mile shoreline. California Executive Order S-13-08 directed state agencies to plan for sea-level rise and coastal impacts, and asked the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies to establish a committee to assess sea-level rise. Oregon, Washington, and several federal agencies joined California to sponsor the study.
Resource Category: Assessments
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Adapting to Rising Tides - Addressing Social Vulnerability and Equity in Climate Change Adaptation Planning in the San Francisco Bay Area
June 2012
Designed to inform the Adapting to Rising Tides project (ART) being led by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the purpose of the white paper is to integrate social equity into adaptation planning for sea level rise and storm events. The report describes a social vulnerability assessment completed for the study area and the results; presents case studies which integrate equity into adaptation planning; and provides decision support tools and recommendations to inform social equity and coastal planning for the San Francisco Bay Area of California.
Author or Affiliated User: Heidi Nutters
Resource Category: Planning
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SPUR Ocean Beach Master Plan for San Francisco – Strategies for Great Highway
May 21, 2012
Developed by the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR), the Ocean Beach Master Plan (OBMP) provides a long-term strategy for responding to current and future sea-level rise impacts along the 3. 5-mile stretch of San Francisco’s Ocean Beach, and provides recommendations for adapting the Great Highway, which runs adjacent to the beach. The strategy focuses on the protection and relocation of transportation infrastructure, including: (1) rerouting the southern portion of the Great Highway; (2) protecting and restoring the shoreline and beach; (3) reducing the width of the Great Highway; (4) repairing seaside dunes; (5) facilitating faster travel between Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach; and (6) improving bicycle paths and sidewalks near Ocean Beach.
Resource Category: Planning
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USGS Integrated Watershed Scale Response to Global Change in Selected Basins Across the United States
May 16, 2012
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has utilized water availability models to project local-level climate change impacts in 14 water basins. To determine the sensitivity and potential effect of long-term climate change on the freshwater resources of the U. S. , the USGS Global Change study, “An integrated watershed scale response to global change in selected basins across the United States” was started in 2008 and published its results in 2012. The long-term goal of this study is to provide the foundation for hydrologically based climate change studies across the nation.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Ocean Beach, California Master Plan
May 2012
The San Francisco Planning and Research Association (SPUR) facilitated a coordinated effort among multiple agencies to create this long-range plan for San Francisco's Ocean Beach, 3. 5 miles of beach and rugged coastline from the Cliff House to Fort Funston. The Ocean Beach Master Plan (OBMP) presents recommendations for the management and protection of Ocean Beach, and addresses the impact of sea level rise, the physical and ecological processes shaping the beach, and improved integration with its natural, recreational, and urban contexts.
Resource Category: Planning
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Innovative Approaches for Adapting to Water Variability in the West
May 2012
This brief reviews three approaches that communities are pursuing to adapt to climate change:
- New Mexico's Active Water Resource Management program, which put rules into place that allow for temporary water use changes in real time in case of drought.
- The Water Utility Climate Alliance (WUCA), which was founded by water managers concerned by a gap in climate assessment and adaptation science needed to support their decisions.
- Colorado's Joint Front Range Climate Change Vulnerability Study, which brings together the state and water utilities to assess climate change's impact on local water availability.
Author or Affiliated User: Sarah Cottrell Propst
Resource Category: Solutions


