REGIONAL PLANNING KEY TO CLIMATE ACTION
As the world struggles for consensus on climate action and national policy focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the impacts of climate change occur all around us. Drought, intense heat, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes and rising seas, all on a scale not previously seen and often happening concurrently, bear witness to this.
Whatever other action is taken to limit the scale of climate change, greater attention must be paid to redesigning communities, enhancing their ability both to adapt to conditions that are becoming a “new normal” and to recover from climate impacts in a resilient manner. Those impacts are not confined to the boundaries of individual cities They are best addressed through a collaborative regional planning approach.
The San Diego region is a case in point. Its beaches and coastal bluffs are being eroded by ocean storms and sea level rise. Its inland valleys and mountains suffer from severe drought, leaving them vulnerable to wildfires. Long-term drought and higher temperatures contribute to the loss of natural habitat and wildlife. Its population, industry and agricultural economy rely heavily on water from shrinking, faraway sources — the Sacramento Delta in Northern California and the Colorado River.
As nearly everywhere, the most severe impacts fall on the most disadvantaged areas and residents. A historical combination of poverty, inferior infrastructure, inadequate public services and poor land-use planning leave them especially vulnerable and most in need of corrective measures.
These conditions are being addressed in the San Diego region through collaborative planning involving county government, the 18 individual cities, regional planning agencies, environmental organizations, scientific research institutions, the military, tribal governments, businesses and local citizen groups. Guidance documents prepared by state agencies such as the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research aid these efforts by providing direction for assessing climate vulnerability, formulating adaptation strategies and refining plans as conditions evolve. They also specify how adapting to climate change, making communities more resilient and addressing environmental justice needs should be incorporated into local comprehensive plans and other planning documents.
This guidance is taking effect. The county of San Diego adopted a regional hazard mitigation plan that addresses adaptation to climate impacts by all local governments and is currently updating that document to incorporate the latest scientific evidence. The county also updated the Safety Element in its General Plan and added an Environmental Justice Element. Similarly, the city of San Diego recently adopted the Climate Resilient SD Plan, which responds to state requirements and lays the groundwork for future adaptation planning as it updates its community plans.
Meanwhile, the regional plan recently adopted by the San Diego Association of Governments presents a vision for long-term sustainability through modernizing and expanding transportation systems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while also providing for replenishing beaches, relocating key transportation infrastructure from vulnerable coastal sites, and preserving critical wildlife habitat. The agency also is collaborating on adaptation and resilience planning with the region’s 18 tribal nations.
The San Diego County Water Authority and the city of San Diego are developing major new local water resources through treatment of seawater and wastewater, respectively. The city also is examining the feasibility of capturing and reusing stormwater, both to avert flooding and to create a new water source. The Regional Water Quality Control Board is updating plans for protection of the 11 watersheds under its jurisdiction, including managing stormwater, avoiding flooding and protecting water resources from wildfire impacts. And the county, in concert with 11 cities, is implementing a series of multi-species conservation plans to preserve environmentally sensitive lands. Collectively, these planning efforts will put the San Diego region in an excellent position to obtain federal and state infrastructure funds to implement these projects and programs.
A recent report titled “Collaborative Planning for Climate Resilience,” published by the American Planning Association and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, proposes an ongoing framework for continuing collaborative climate change planning for the San Diego region. It presents a practical, science-based approach to assessing climate-related risks, identifying planning processes to address those risks and gathering resources to implement the necessary programs. Its findings and recommendations provide a model for other regions threatened by climate change impacts.
Even ambitious efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will only slow climate impacts. For vulnerable regions, the impacts will continue and will worsen. By focusing greater attention on adaptation and resilience, and on promoting regional collaboration, our residents will be spared the worst effects of those changes and our communities will remain sustainable.