Download Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission

Climate Change
Mitigation and
Adaptation Planning
in Wisconsin's Great
Lakes Coastal
Communities
Angela Pierce
Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Sea Grant Climate Network Workshop - Charleston, SC
November 9-11, 2009
Outline

Brief Overview of the Bay-Lake Regional
Planning Commission (Bay-Lake RPC)

Wisconsin’s Efforts towards Climate Change
Mitigation and Adaptation

Coastal Community Climate Change Planning
Challenges, Goals and Objectives, and Needed
Resources
Sea Grant Climate Network Workshop - Charleston, SC
November 9-11, 2009
Wisconsin RPCs
Sea Grant Climate Network Workshop - Charleston, SC
November 9-11, 2009
Lake
Superior
Wisconsin
Lake
Michigan
590,000 people in the Region
Sea Grant Climate Network Workshop - Charleston, SC
(2009 Estimate)
November 9-11, 2009
Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission

Established in 1972 to Assist County and
Local Government

Resources
Florence
Marinette


Oconto
Door

Eight Counties

Brown
Kewaunee
Manitowoc

185 Units of Government (including one Tribe)
Areas of Work


Sheboygan
Staff of 9 employees
Annual Budget of approx. $1 million



Local Planning Assistance
Natural Resources/Hazard Mitigation
Economic Development
Transportation
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Sea Grant Climate Network Workshop - Charleston, SC
November 9-11, 2009
Wisconsin’s Efforts towards Climate
Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Mitigation = Energy Independent Communities Program
(“25x25” Initiative)


Adaptation = Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts
(WICCI)


Effort to partner with communities to work toward Wisconsin’s goal of
generating 25% of electricity and transportation fuels from renewable
resources by 2025.
Network of scientists working to measure impacts and develop
adaptation strategies.
Status of Coastal Communities Climate Change Efforts in
Wisconsin (Lake Superior vs. Lake Michigan)

Challenges
Sea Grant Climate Network Workshop - Charleston, SC
November 9-11, 2009
Goals and Objectives for Climate Change
Planning for WI Coastal Communities

Goal:


Inform coastal communities about climate change and provide
regional support for climate change planning.
Objectives:

Provide education to coastal communities about climate change.

Inform local officials about the effects of climate change on
municipal governments.

Provide information about the benefits of reducing energy use
and greenhouse gas emissions.

Encourage and assist communities with planning for climate
change.

Incorporate climate policy into current planning efforts.
Sea Grant Climate Network Workshop - Charleston, SC
November 9-11, 2009
Climate Change Planning for WI Coastal
Communities

Proposed Action:


Work with a coastal community to develop climate change
mitigation and adaptation goals, objectives, and an action plan to
provide an example and template to further assist other coastal
communities.
Needs:




Information about the anticipated climate change impacts to
municipal government.
Recommendations for specific climate change adaptation actions
for Wisconsin’s coastal communities.
Information about the economic benefits of climate change
mitigation and adaptation.
Outreach assistance to inform local officials and citizens about
the effects of climate change in Wisconsin and encourage action
to mitigate and adapt.
Sea Grant Climate Network Workshop - Charleston, SC
November 9-11, 2009


Suggested Publications:

Kling, George W. et al. Confronting Climate Change in the
Great Lakes Region. 2003.
http://www.ucsusa.org/greatlakes/glchallengereport.html.

Wittman, Stephen. Climate Change in the Great Lakes
Region: Starting a Public Discussion. University of
Wisconsin Sea Grant/University of Wisconsin Board of
Regents. 2008.
http://aqua.wisc.edu/publications/ProductDetails.aspx?prod
uctID=552
Suggested Websites:

Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI):
http://www.wicci.wisc.edu/

Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence:
http://power.wisconsin.gov/section.asp?linkid=1238&locid
=131
Sea Grant Climate Network Workshop - Charleston, SC
November 9-11, 2009
Thank you.
Angela Pierce
Natural Resources Planner
Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission
Green Bay, Wisconsin
[email protected]
(920) 448-2820
www.baylakerpc.org
Sea Grant Climate Network Workshop - Charleston, SC
November 9-11, 2009