Download Climate Action Planning

Chittenden County
Climate Action Planning
CCRPC Board Presentation
February 15, 2012
Julie Potter, Senior Planner
Objectives
 Review CCRPC’s recent Energy, Air Quality,
Climate Action Planning activities
 Highlight findings of draft Chittenden County
Climate Change Trends and Impacts report
 Highlight contents of Best Practices report
 Next steps for climate action planning
 Questions & answers
UPWP Task 2.2.3.2
Multi-year program in UPWP
Transportation Environmental Planning:
Energy, Air Quality and Climate Action
Planning
Identify policies and actions that will help the
region reduce energy consumption, air
pollution and global warming
Building on Air Quality Study
 2010 report:
Keeping Our Air Clean
 Research on air quality
issues for the region
 Implications of ozone
non-attainment
 Identify strategies to
improve air quality
Air Quality Strategies
Local and regional
strategies for:
Strategies grouped
by implementer:
Transportation
Land use
Energy conservation
Energy efficiency
Individuals
Employers
Municipalities
CCRPC
Major Air Quality Findings
 Ozone concentrations are partly due to pollution
from mid-west power plants and partly due local
emissions
 Major local sources: vehicles, solvent use,
residential wood combustion, fossil fuel
combustion
 Air quality and climate change are linked through
fossil fuel consumption
 Recommendation to develop a climate action plan
Building on
All Hazard Mitigation Plan
 Hazards identification
 Risk assessment
 Vulnerability analysis
 Mitigation strategies
 Top hazards all related
to, or aggravated by
predicted climate
change impacts.
Climate Change and Our Region
 In-house review of
how climate change is
affecting our region
 Tied-in with ECOS
Plan
 Draft report for public
comment
 Finalize in April
Key Climate Trend Findings
Key Climate Trend Findings
 Key climate indicators show change over the
past 30+ years
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Increased annual and seasonal temperatures
Decreased lake ice cover
Longer growing season
Increased precipitation, but less snow
 Climate models indicate continued trends over
this century, with more extreme weather
 Our climate will become like the Mid-Atlantic
Impacts: Environment &
Natural Resources
Air quality will deteriorate
More spring flooding and
low summer stream flows
Impacts to water quality
and aquatic species
Change in forest type and
impacts to forest species
Impacts: Public Health
 Increased risk of heat stress
 Increase risk of flooding injuries
and deaths
 Increased risk of vector-borne
diseases
 Increased pollen results in more
seasonal allergies and asthma
 Increased ozone leads to more
respiratory illness
Impacts: Built Environment
 Infrastructure damage along floodprone shorelines, rivers and streams
 Transportation system disruption
and damage: culverts, roads, railways,
bridges
 Water supply and wastewater system
damage and water quality problems;
summer well water shortages
 Increased summer electricity demand for
cooling
 Power outages from storms, high demand
Impacts: Local Economy
 Flood damage to crop lands,
summer droughts
 Heat stress reduces dairy yield
 Heat decreases apple, grape, berry yields
 Spread of weeds, insect pests and diseases
 Warmer temperatures hurt
maple sugar production
 Autumn tourism and winter
recreation negatively affected
Climate Action Planning
2012 TranSystems report: Climate/Energy/Air
Quality Planning Best Practices Review and
Summary
Modeling tools for greenhouse gas (GHG)
inventories
Best practices from states, regions, cities
Compilation of strategies to reduce GHGs
Next Steps
Conduct regional GHG emissions inventory
Climate action plan for mitigation (reduce
GHG emissions) and adaptation (reduce
impacts from climate change)
Advisory committees to guide these tasks
Work products to be incorporated into the
ECOS Plan
Questions?