Local Climate Action Planning

Local Climate Action Planning
Author: Michael R. Boswell
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2012-07-16
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1610912012

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Climate change is a global problem, but the problem begins locally. Cities consume 75% of the world's energy and emit 80% of the world's greenhouse gases. Changing the way we build and operate our cities can have major effects on greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, communities across the U.S. are responding to the climate change problem by making plans that assess their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and specify actions they will take to reduce these emissions. This is the first book designed to help planners, municipal staff and officials, citizens and others working at local levels to develop Climate Action Plans. CAPs are strategic plans that establish policies and programs for mitigating a community's greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions. They typically focus on transportation, energy use, and solid waste, and often differentiate between community-wide actions and municipal agency actions. CAPs are usually based on GHG emissions inventories, which indentify the sources of emissions from the community and quantify the amounts. Additionally, many CAPs include a section addressing adaptation-how the community will respond to the impacts of climate change on the community, such as increased flooding, extended drought, or sea level rise. With examples drawn from actual plans, Local Climate Action Planning guides preparers of CAPs through the entire plan development process, identifying the key considerations and choices that must be made in order to assure that a plan is both workable and effective.

Climate Action Planning

Climate Action Planning
Author: Michael R. Boswell
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 382
Release: 2019-07-16
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1610919637

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Climate change continues to impact our health and safety, the economy, and natural systems. With climate-related protections and programs under attack at the federal level, it is critical for cities to address climate impacts locally. Every day there are new examples of cities approaching the challenge of climate change in creative and innovative ways—from rethinking transportation, to greening city buildings, to protecting against sea-level rise. Climate Action Planning is designed to help planners, municipal staff and officials, citizens and others working at local levels to develop and implement plans to mitigate a community's greenhouse gas emissions and increase the resilience of communities against climate change impacts. This fully revised and expanded edition goes well beyond climate action plans to examine the mix of policy and planning instruments available to every community. Boswell, Greve, and Seale also look at process and communication: How does a community bring diverse voices to the table? What do recent examples and research tell us about successful communication strategies? Climate Action Planning brings in new examples of implemented projects to highlight what has worked and the challenges that remain. A completely new chapter on vulnerability assessment will help each community to identify their greatest risks and opportunities. Sections on land use and transportation have been expanded to reflect their growing contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. The guidance in the book is put in context of international, national, and state mandates and goals. Climate Action Planning is the most comprehensive book on the state of the art, science, and practice of local climate action planning. It should be a first stop for any local government interested in addressing climate change.

Local Governments and Climate Change

Local Governments and Climate Change
Author: Maryke van Staden
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 462
Release: 2010-04-05
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1402095317

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Global warming is changing the world as we know it. Climate change can have catastrophic impacts in numerous cities across the world. It is time for us to react – quickly and effectively. The European Community (EC) has been leading the fight against climate change, making it one of its top priorities. We have introduced the most ambitious targets of their kind, known as the “20/20/20 by 2020” initiative within the “Climate Action and Renewable Energy Package.” As a result, European Member States have taken on a commitment to curb their CO emissions by at least 20% by 2020. 2 These targets are indeed commendable; however, they are only the start if we are to avoid the consequences of global warming. Whilst top level coordination from the European Institutions and Member State governments is vital, the role of mitigating and adapting to climate change at local level must not be forgotten. In fact, here cities, regions and their citizens play a significant a role. It is therefore vital they become directly involved in the climate change challenge. The European Commission therefore launched in 2008 a new initiative, the Covenant of Mayors, which brings together a network of European mayors in a voluntary effort to go beyond the European Union’s already ambitious targets. Half of our greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) are created in and by cities.

Local Action on Climate Change

Local Action on Climate Change
Author: Susie Moloney
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2017-08-31
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1134810903

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There is growing interest in analysing the role and effectiveness of the local scale in responding to the global challenge of climate change. However, while accounts of urban climate change governance are growing, there is now a real need for further conceptual and empirical work to better understand processes of change and uptake across a range of climate change actions. Local Action on Climate Change examines how local climate change responses are emerging, being operationalized and evaluated within a range of geographical and socio-political contexts across the globe. Focussing on the role and potential of local governments, non-government organisations and community groups in driving transformative change, the authors analyse how local climate change responses have emerged and explore the extent to which they are or have the potential to be innovative or transformative in terms of governance, policy and practice change. Drawing on a diverse range of case studies, including examples from Vanuatu, Japan, South Africa, Australia, Sweden, the USA and India, this volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, environmental policy and governance, and sustainability.

Justice in Climate Action Planning

Justice in Climate Action Planning
Author: Brian Petersen
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2021-12-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030739392

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This edited volume examines how climate action plans engage justice at the scale of the city. Recent events in the United States make the context particularly ripe for a discussion of justice in urban climate politics. On the one hand, the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, George Floyd’s death, and the prominence of racial discrimination in the public realm have mainstreamed the notion of justice. On the other hand, the dire consequences of increased frequency and severity of climate events on vulnerable segments of urban populations are undeniable. While some cities have been proactive about integrating justice in their climate action planning, in most places an explicit and systematic link between both spheres has been lacking. This book explores this interface as it seeks to understand how cities can respond to climate change in a just way and for just outcomes. While resilience strategies based on “development” may engage historic inequities, they may at the same time result in marginalizing certain populations through various processes, from mismatched solutions to outright exclusion and climate gentrification. By identifying how certain populations are included in or excluded from climate action planning practices, the chapters in this volume draw on case studies to outline the differential outcomes of climate action in American cities, also proposing a template for comparative work beyond the US. The authors tackle the debate about how justice is or is not integrated in climate action plans and assess practical implications, while also making theoretical and methodological contributions. As it fills a gap in the literature at the intersection of justice and climate action, the book produces new insights for a wide-ranging audience: students, practitioners, policy-makers, planners, the non-profit sector, and scholars in geography, urban planning, urban studies, environmental studies, ecology, political science, or anthropology. Along five axes of investigation―theory, resilience, equity, community, and comparison as method―the contributors offer various pathways into the intersection between urban climate action and different understandings of justice. Collectively, they invite a reflection that can lead to practical initiatives in climate mitigation, while also advancing the theorization of social justice to account for the urban as a node where (in)justice plays out and can be addressed with significant results.

Local Climate Plans in Practice

Local Climate Plans in Practice
Author: Paul T. Ward
Publisher:
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2012
Genre:
ISBN:

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Local climate action plans have become more prevalent in recent years yet information on their success is limited. While unlikely, on their own, to be able to mitigate enough carbon emissions to prevent catastrophic impacts of global temperature increase, local climate planning has the potential to play an important role in a number of key ways. Cities have traditionally exercised control in areas that have GHG abatement potential at low cost (e.g. building codes, land use, energy procurement) and the total population represented by cities committed to GHG reduction efforts is not insignificant and continues to grow. The extent to which local climate plans can serve as a meaningful element in a larger (but currently woefully inadequate) policy picture, will depend on their ability to set aggressive goals, dedicate resources, test innovative strategies, and measure progress systematically. Looking at the plans and progress reports of five U.S. cities, many have set aggressive goals and created innovative programs that could be replicated at other levels of government, but most are somewhat lacking in measuring and reporting progress metrics and financial resources committed to these efforts. For local climate planning to contribute significantly to broader climate policy, it will need to develop more rigorous progress metrics so the highest yield, lowest cost abatement strategies can be identified and advanced in other cities and at higher levels of government.

Climate Mitigation Quick Start Guide Milestone Three

Climate Mitigation Quick Start Guide Milestone Three
Author: ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability Staff
Publisher:
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2012-04-10
Genre:
ISBN: 9781475101478

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This Quick Start Guide helps local government sustainability and planning professionals create a Climate Action Plan that enables local progress toward a clear and measurable reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.A Climate Action Plan is a description of actions, policies, programs, and projects to reduce GHG emissions. The plan conveys both the overarching vision and a detailed roadmap to guide local efforts. The Climate Action Plan can stand alone or be incorporated into another plan or document your local government is preparing such as a sustainability plan, comprehensive plan, or energy plan.This Quick Start Guide will help you create a plan that serves as a framework that documents, coordinates, and measures your local government's efforts moving forward. It will also help you create a plan that is actionable via a timeline, financing, and assignment of responsibility to departments or staff.This Quick Start Guide is the third in a series to assist local governments to understand and act to reduce their impact on climate change. Creating a Climate Action Plan is the third step in a framework developed by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA (ICLEI) called the "Five Milestones for Climate Mitigation".

Local Action

Local Action
Author: Tommy Linstroth
Publisher: UPNE
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2007
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9781584656722

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While traditionally framed as a national and international problem, climate change is also an important local issue. For the past fifteen years, while nations have fought over the terms of emissions reductions and the Kyoto Protocol, local governments and communities have been enacting innovative measures that not only prevent emissions of significant quantities of greenhouse gases but also reduce air pollution, save money, and improve the overall quality of life. In the absence of a serious national policy that addresses global warming, these grassroots efforts can and have made a difference. Since 1993, when fourteen pioneering local governments first began to develop programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a national and international movement has formed to fight global climate change through concerted local action. These communities are having a significant effect. A handful of jurisdictions in the United States are preventing over twenty million tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere annually and have saved over four hundred million dollars in the process. These initiatives include greening the local building codes, creating commercial waste reduction programs, encouraging water conservation, promoting bicycling and fuel-efficient vehicles, upgrading city buildings, advocating for the use of biodiesel for municipal transportation, and designing innovative systems and policies for reduced paper use. Two in-depth case studies-- Fort Collins, Colorado, and Portland, Oregon--demonstrate how two cities have created and implemented climate-friendly and environmentally sound habitats. While most books on global warming focus on national and international implications and policy approaches or serve as guides to help individuals live in an ecologically sound manner, Linstroth and Bell provide a blueprint for local governments to follow. Combining an analysis of existing federal policy with examples of successful local policy, they provide practical examples of measures that can be implemented by communities and local governments across the United States.

The Climate Planner

The Climate Planner
Author: Jason King
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2021-08-25
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1000422623

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The Climate Planner is about overcoming the objections to climate change mitigation and adaption that urban planners face at a local level. It shows how to draft climate plans that encounter less resistance because they involve the public, stakeholders, and decisionmakers in a way that builds trust, creates consensus, and leads to implementation. Although focused on the local level, this book discusses climate basics such as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Paris Agreement of 2015, worldwide energy generation forecasts, and other items of global concern in order to familiarize urban planners and citizen planners with key concepts that they will need to know in order to be able to host climate conversations at the local level. The many case studies from around the United States of America show how communities have encountered pushback and bridged the implementation gap, the gap between plan and reality, thanks to a commitment to substantive public engagement. The book is written for urban planners, local activists, journalists, elected or appointed representatives, and the average citizen worried about climate breakdown and interested in working to reshape the built environment.

Climate Change Adaptation

Climate Change Adaptation
Author: John B. Stephenson
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 86
Release: 2010-03
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1437924646

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Changes in the climate attributable to increased concentrations of greenhouse gases may have significant impacts in the U.S. and the world. Greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere will continue altering the climate system into the future, regardless of emissions control efforts. Therefore, adaptation -- defined as adjustments to natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate change -- is an important part of the response to climate change. This report examined: what actions federal, state, local, and international authorities are taking to adapt to a changing climate, and the challenges they face in their efforts to adapt; and actions that Congress and fed. agencies could take to help address these challenges. Charts and tables.