National League of CitiesEnergy, Environment and Natural Resources
Steering Committee Meeting
September 20th, 2013Bryan M. Myers
EPA Region 4Energy and Climate Change Coordinator
Reducing carbon pollution from power plants
Building a 21st century transportation sector
Cutting energy waste in homes, businesses, and factories
Reducing methane and HFCs Preparing the U.S. for the
impacts of climate change Leading international efforts
to address global climate change
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EPA ACTION UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA’S PLAN
Progress◦ In 2013, federal agencies released Climate Change
Adaptation plans for the first time Continuing the momentum for the future
◦ Assessing climate change impacts in the United States and tracking observed changes
◦ Climate Data Initiative Leveraging existing climate-related data efforts, including
EPA’s GHG Reporting Program◦ Building stronger and safer communities and
infrastructure Support climate-resilient investment Provide tools for climate resilience
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PREPARING THE U.S. FOR THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Source – Hansen, L., R.M. Gregg, V. Arroyo, S. Ellsworth, L. Jackson, and A. Snover. (2013). The State of Adaptation in the United States: An Overview. A report for John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. EcoAdapt. Tracking Adaptation Efforts
Adaptation Planning Activity
Source – Hansen, L., R.M. Gregg, V. Arroyo, S. Ellsworth, L. Jackson, and A. Snover. (2013). The State of Adaptation in the United States: An Overview. A report for John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. EcoAdapt. Tracking Adaptation Efforts
Overview of the DraftEPA Climate Change Adaptation Plan
http://epa.gov/climatechange/pdfs/EPA-climate-change-adaptation-plan-final-for-public-comment-2-7-13.pdf
Part 1: Vision of the Future EPA
Part 2: Known Vulnerabilities to EPA’s Mission from Climate Change
Part 3: Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation in EPA: Agency-wide priorities
Part 4: Measuring and Evaluating Performance
Outline forEPA Climate Change Adaptation Plan
1. Fulfill Strategic Measures in FY 2011-2015 EPA Strategic Plan2. Protect Agency facilities and operations3. Factor legal considerations into adaptation efforts4. Strengthen adaptive capacity of EPA staff and partners through
training5. Develop decision-support tools that enable EPA staff and
partners to integrate climate adaptation planning into their work6. Identify cross-EPA science needs related to climate adaptation7. Partner with tribes to increase adaptive capacity8. Focus on most vulnerable people and places9. Measure and evaluate performance10. Develop Program and Regional Office Implementation Plans
Agency-wide Priorities
Implementation Plans
Draft Climate Change Adaptation Implementation Plans developed by every National Environmental Program Office and all 10 Regional Offices
Purpose: To provide more detail on the work they will do to address the Agency-wide priorities on climate adaptation
Required by EPA Policy Statement on Climate Change Adaptation (June 2011)
Delivered to CEQ and OMB: June 2013
Soon to be released for public review and comment
Implementation Plans (cont.)
Common areas of focus:
1. Vulnerability assessments
2. Priority actions on climate adaptation
3. Agency-wide Strategic Measures on climate adaptation
4. Legal and enforcement issues
5. Training and outreach
6. Partnerships with tribes
7. Vulnerable populations and places
8. Evaluation and cross-Office pilot projects
Decision Support Tools and Resources
Data, information, and tools already existto facilitate vulnerability assessments
and inform adaptive management decisionsby EPA and its stakeholders
Communicate the causes and effects of climate change in an easy-to-understand way (What is happening now? What does climate change look like?).
Highlight observed data with a focus on the U.S., with some regional and some global context; no future projections included.
Show important trends that are relevant to society and the environment.
Inform existing and future climate-related programs.
Regional Climate Scenariosand Sea Level Rise Scenarios
On January 11, 2013, the USGCRP released regional climate scenarios that were produced for the U.S. National Climate Assessment.
Global sea level rise scenarios released by NOAA in December 2012.
The scenarios represent the first standardized set of regional climate scenarios that can be used by all federal agencies for adaptation and mitigation analyses and planning.
The scenarios provide a picture of future climate that EPA can use as it anticipates and prepares for future changes in climate.
BASINS is a widely distributed tool designed for use by regional, state, and local agencies in performing watershed and water quality-based studies
EPA’s Office of Water encouraging use of BASINS to support regulatory compliance (e.g. TMDLs)
New version (ver. 4) released in May 2007
Enhanced BASINS with a Climate Assessment Tool (CAT)
CAT provides a capability for understanding how water resources could be affected by a range of potential changes in climate the effectiveness of management practices for increasing the resilience of water resources to changes in climate
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/BASINS/
“Enhanced” BASINS: An EPA Decision Support Tool
for Water Resource Managers
1. Build and maintain support to prepare for climate change
2. Scope projected climate impacts on programs and planning areas
3. Assess vulnerability and risk
4. Set preparedness goals and actions
5. Implement your plan and evaluate effectiveness
Example Adaptation Planning Process
Preparing for Climate Change: A Guidebook for Local, Regional, and State Governments. By the Climate Impacts Group; King County, Washington; and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA. http://www.cses.washington.edu/db/pdf/snoveretalgb574.pdf
California Climate Adaptation Planning Guide By California Emergency Management Agency and California Natural Resources Agency with funding from FEMA. http://resources.ca.gov/climate_adaptation/local_government/adaptation_policy_guide.html
Today: How can we collaborate with other sectors to leverage resources and funding for these efforts?
Federal Agency Opportunities EPA State and Local Climate and Energy Newsletter is a listserv that
shares information about state and local developments in policies, programs, and opportunities http://epa.gov/statelocalclimate/newsletters/index.html#a01
Grants.gov is a database for all federal grants http://www.grants.gov/ EPA Grant Competition Forecast for Calendar Year 2013 provides a list of
current and anticipated opportunities http://www.epa.gov/ogd/training/resources_for_communities/community_grants_table.htm
Partnership for Sustainable Communities: Grants, Assistance & Programs offers a list of opportunities through this interagency HUD-DOT-EPA partnership http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov/grants.html
EPA Adaptation Tools for Public Officials provides numerous tools and guidebooks http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/adapt-tools.html
Federal and EPA Adaptation Programs provides information and links about the adaptation efforts across the federal agencies http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/fed-programs.html
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Adaptation Funding Opportunities
Local Opportunities Climate Adaptation Fund supports applied projects specific to
wildlife adaptation http://www.wcsnorthamerica.org/ClimateAdaptationFund/tabid/4813/Default.aspx
DSIRE Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency http://www.dsireusa.org/
Tribal Climate Change Funding Guide is a database of climate change opportunities http://envs.uoregon.edu/tribal-climate/
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Adaptation Funding Opportunities
U.S. EPA Climate Change Website Accessible scientific information about the causes and impacts of climate
change www.epa.gov/climatechange Specific information about the impacts and adaptation options by region and
sector for the U.S. www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/
U.S. EPA Climate Change Indicators Report EPA report on set of 26 indicators used to track the signs of climate change
www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/indicators/index.html
U.S. EPA State and Local Climate and Energy Program Website Links to state adaptation plans, resources, and tools
www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/state/topics/impacts-adaption.html 2010-2011 climate adaptation webcasts on impacts, planning frameworks,
and federal resources http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/web-podcasts/local-webcasts.html#adap1
Other U.S. EPA Programs Climate Ready Estuaries water.epa.gov/type/oceb/cre/index.cfm Climate Ready Water Utilities water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/climate/
index.cfm Urban Heat Island Reduction Program www.epa.gov/heatisland
U.S. EPA Adaptation Resources
CAKE – Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange• Case studies, virtual library, online community www.cakex.org
C2ES Adaptation Resources • Impacts analysis, legislative tracking, example adaptation plans
ww.c2es.org/science-impacts/adaptation EcoAdapt• Feed adaptation resources, Climate Adaptation Starter Kit
www.ecoadapt.org
Georgetown Climate Center• Best practices, legal analysis, legislative tracking, example
adaptation plans www.georgetownclimate.org
ICLEI – Climate Adaptation Guidance• Free adaptation resources, adaptation training, ADAPT Tool, regional
impacts www.icleiusa.org/climate_and_energy/Climate_Adaptation_Guidance
U.S. Global Change Research Program• National Climate Assessment, data, reports www.globalchange.gov/
Additional Adaptation Resources
Bryan MyersRegion 4 Energy and Climate Change Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection [email protected]
404-562-9603
Emma ZinsmeisterLead Local Climate Strategy Analyst
U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyState and Local Climate and Energy Program
Contact Information