Planning for Climate Change in the West | Lincoln Institute
"Planning for Climate Change in the West" is a recent report from the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
This report underscores the critical role of local planners in the Intermountain West in confronting challenges posed by climate change and acting in concert with federal, regional, and state efforts to implement mitigation and adaptation policies. ...
Of particular value for western planners are state-produced climate action plans that can guide local actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change. These state plans contain myriad policy options that not only quantify potential GHG emissions reductions, but also provide specific cost-effectiveness measures and policy language. Because the cost-effectiveness of these policy options varies widely, local communities should first consider the “low-hanging fruit”—those policies that both reduce GHG emissions and offer co-benefits to improve quality of life and sustainability at the same time. ...
In most communities, land use and transportation policies potentially reap the greatest rewards. An array of familiar smart growth strategies for creating healthier communities now double as climate solutions: building codes and standards, com- pact mixed-use development, transportation alternatives, distributed and renewable energy, water resource consumption and planning, preservation of open space and agriculture, and mitigation of wildfire impacts. ...
This report encourages planners to take an active role in overcoming these obstacles by taking positive steps to integrate climate- oriented policies into their land use and development agendas as follows:
• Mobilize the political will. Focus on sustainability, economic and energy efficiency, and the co-benefits of local actions, rather than politically controversial policies and goals.
• Recognize local action and citizen participation. Coordinate state and local activities to address climate change, and use public education about climate change impacts to foster citizen participation and buy-in for local programs.
• Establish peer community networks on a regional scale. Develop peer learn- ing networks with guidance from state climate action plans and regional initiatives to help smaller communities share ideas and learn from each other.
• Identify resources and a variety of options. Refer to state climate action plans regionwide for a variety of strategies and ideas that communities can select and apply to their own needs and circumstances.
• Adapt climate science to local planning needs. Seek out current information and tools in reports, Web sites, and other resources that can help planners translate climate science for local use, and develop a baseline level of GHGs as a first step in measuring climate strategies and results.
