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Climate Change
The Global Warming Solutions Act
SCAG is addressing the climate change challenge through implementation of recent State legislation. In 2006, Assembly Bill No. 32 (AB 32), the California Global Warming Solutions Act, passed into law requiring that statewide GHG emissions be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020. This would represent reducing about 30 percent from business-as-usual emission levels projected for 2020. On December 11, 2008, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) adopted a comprehensive Scoping Plan outlining the state’s strategy to achieve the 2020 GHG emission reduction target.
Sustainable Communities & The Climate Protection Act of 2008
Senate Bill No. 375 (SB 375), effective January 2009, also intends to implement a portion of AB 32 to reduce the GHG emissions from the use of autos and light trucks through land use and VMT Reduction policies. In addition, as a long-term statewide goal, Governor’s Executive Order (S-3-05) requires that by 2050 California reduce GHG emissions to 80 percent below the 1990 level.
The Climate Equity Compendium provides resources for local planners in the SCAG region to advocate for and implement equitable and actionable solutions for their jurisdictions’ climate adaptation efforts. SCAG developed the Compendium in partnership with more than 60 local jurisdictions, focusing on the major concerns of climate adaptation for local agencies: providing resources to assist with staff and funding shortages, removing barriers to relevant data and resources and overcoming the challenges of effective, equitable outreach. SCAG will continue to update the Climate Equity Compendium as the challenges of climate equity evolve.
Read the Climate Equity Compendium
The changing climate will impact Southern California in several ways, including more days with extreme heat, rising sea levels, more frequent wildfires and shifting precipitation rates. With this reality, urban greening, and urban trees in particular, can play a key role in improving community health, mobility, and overall quality of life, and achieving greenhouse gas emissions goals. SCAG outlines urban greening as the greening of developed areas within Southern California communities that can benefit from cooling strategies to reduce urban heat island effects and extreme heat.
Health Benefits and Urban Heat Reduction
Urban greening is an important tool to improve resiliency and equity in a changing climate. Urban greening is especially important in low-income communities where residents are more likely to depend on walking or biking to access public transportation and reach key destinations such as jobs, schools, healthcare and shopping but often lack trees that can lower urban heat. Urban trees are shown to reduce air pollution, improve water quality and boost mental health through lowered stress levels. They have also been shown to mitigate existing heat conditions by providing shade and lower temperatures making it more comfortable to walk or bike which leads to better health outcomes and lowered Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT).
Resilience and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Benefits
Trees have a variety of resilience and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions benefits, including:
Reduce stormwater runoff: Street trees support cleaner water by increasing the capture of urban runoff from rainfall. This rainfall would otherwise enter waterways such as the ocean, rivers and streams carrying pollutants that are unhealthy to plants, animals, and people.
Replenish groundwater: Tree roots increase the ability of soil to absorb rainwater, creating an estimated annual savings of $4.55 per tree in groundwater replenishment.
Reduce electricity use: Urban trees reduce overall electricity usage. It’s estimated that annual electricity savings from reductions in air conditioning use through urban heat mitigation can be equivalent to the amount of energy required to air condition over 210,000 households each year, translating to $11.08 annually per tree.
Reduce GHGs: Approximately 7.78 million tons of carbon dioxide are stored in California’s 9.1 million street trees. California street trees remove and avoid 567,748 tons of CO2 emissions annually, equivalent to removing 120,000 cars from the road.
Reduce VMT: Street trees improve comfort for people who walk, bike or roll making it easier to choose more sustainable modes of transportation.
With extreme heat projected to become more frequent and severe due to climate change, communities should prioritize tree planting and other strategies that reduce urban heat islands.
- Urban Forestry Best Practices
- City Tree Ordinances
- Identifying Priority Areas for Tree Planting
- Tree Planting in a Changing Climate
- Resources for Creating a Tree List
- References
Urban Forestry Best Practices
Urban forestry programs should practice the right tree, right place rule. Planning for the right tree that will thrive in its location, combined with a plan for continuing care, is crucial for the tree to grow to full maturity. Without early planning and tree care implementation, trees are likely to have high mortality rates, undercutting the ability of tree-planting programs to provide the full range of potential community benefits. Giving trees the best chance of success includes the following recommendations:
- Conduct a site-specific evaluation
A site-specific evaluation can determine whether a particular tree is well suited to be planted in an area, the benefits that can be expected from this tree and whether it will be at risk for early removal. This evaluation should include checking to see if there are risks to infrastructure, such as underground or overhead utilities and sidewalks, that could result from a particular tree. Jurisdictions can partner with community organizations that provide ecological consultation to determine the expected benefits and plans of action for tree planting programs.
- Provide adequate soil
Trees that are planted in sites with sufficient soil volume will grow faster, develop larger canopies and outlive those grown in smaller volumes. The recommended soil volume for a healthy street tree is 600 cubic feet for a small tree (20-30 feet), 900 cubic feet for a medium tree (30-60 feet) and 1200 cubic feet for a large tree (60+ feet).
- Plan for tree care in the first 10 years
Mature, healthy trees provide more benefits than younger trees. Long-term tree maintenance is crucial for tree survival and growth. Many tree planting programs have high mortality rates due to a lack of long-term, planned care. Once planted, street trees are often left to survive by precipitation alone.
- Effective tree care includes:
- Planned irrigation: The overseeing organization should develop a plan for appropriate, continuous irrigation rather than relying only on precipitation.
- Adding mulch: As temperatures rise and communities become dryer, adding wood-chip mulch will keep the soil temperature cooler, thereby preserving warmth for the roots, hold moisture for longer and prevent weeds from growing.
- Prevention of early tree removal: Planting programs should coordinate with appropriate stakeholders to ensure that planted trees will not be removed prematurely.
- Effective pruning: Trees should be pruned by a certified arborist. Pruning should occur once a year and consists mainly of the removal of diseased or dead branches or causing a threat to public safety. Trimming throughout the year may be needed to remove branches along travel corridors. Arborists can refer to the ANSI A300 Pruning Standards and companion “Best Management Practices – Tree Pruning” for acceptable practices.
- Effective tree care includes:
- Select the right species
Species selection has been shown to have a large impact on tree survival rates, even before changes environmental changes due to climate change. With projected changes in multiple factors such as air temperature, wind, and precipitation, that will affect tree survival rates by mid to end-of-century, communities should consider creating a list of trees that can withstand future environmental conditions.
- Ensure a diverse urban forest
Species diversity is important to protect the urban forest against catastrophic failure caused by a species- or genus-specific pathogen or disease.
- Engage and collaborate with local communities
Engagement with local communities where tree planting programs take place is crucial to the success of the program. Tree planting programs that target private planting should incentivize and educate about maintenance challenges, and identify the appropriate trees. Dig sites on public lands have failed due to a lack of engagement with residents or a lack of long-term tree maintenance from the municipality. Communities should consider using volunteers, with clear guidance and supervision to reduce the costs of tree planting programs.
- Plan for post-planning monitoring and evaluation
A plan for post-planning monitoring and evaluation can help to evaluate the effectiveness of tree-planting programs.
- Resources for urban forestry best practices
City Tree Ordinances
Because of the immense value of planting and caring for trees, communities should consider implementing tree ordinances that establish clear guidelines and regulations for the maintenance and removal of trees on public and private lands. Comprehensive tree preservation ordinances can play a central role in successfully protecting trees during and after residential development.
- SCAG Region Urban Greening Management Plan Examples
- Resources for creating a Tree Ordinance
Identifying Priority Areas for Tree Planting
Urban forestry programs can be used as one of the strategies to improve health, environmental and heat reduction outcomes in underresourced communities. which often lack parks and open spaces. The following resources may help you determine which areas to prioritize tree planting.
- Resources to consider when prioritizing areas for tree planting
- The USDA Forest Service Tree Canopy Data: This map overlays tree canopy coverage data at 60-cm spatial resolution, ozone and PM 2.5 pollution information, CalEPA’s urban heat island index, and other public health indicators. This map shows which areas lack tree canopy coverage, combined with low health indicators, to prioritize areas for tree planting.
- Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) Consortium: This resource provides land cover datasets at the national scale.
- California Healthy Places Index: This map shows data on social conditions that drive health such as education, economic opportunities, clean air and water, and other indicators.
- California Healthy Places Index: Extreme Heat Edition: This resource shows the number of days above 90 or 100 degrees at various time scales such as mid- and end-of-century down to cities and elementary school districts. It also shows other indicators such as tree canopy coverage (from the national land cover database), park acres, impervious surface cover, urban heat island index, PM 2.5, Diesel PM, ozone and more.
Tree Planting in a Changing Climate
Climate change is projected to cause changes in air temperatures, precipitation, disease frequencies and other factors that will affect the ability of trees in urban and natural forests to survive. The interactions of drought, heat stress and insect outbreaks due to climate change, as well as other factors, can lead to forest mortality in complex patterns. Drought-related tree mortality may even occur years or decades after the drought. Different sequences of climate events, such as a flood followed by a drought, can also affect tree growth and the risk of mortality.
Selecting trees that are appropriate for the site and able to withstand a variety of landscape characteristics will be key in planting resilient, climate-ready urban forests. Communities should consider forming a tree list that includes a variety of different tree species that show promise in withstanding the local projected climate hazards. Please note that research into climate-ready trees is still in its early stages and there are information gaps on how climate change will impact tree survival rates. Here are the factors to consider when forming your tree list. Communities should determine priority based on their projected climate hazards.
- Consider plants that have low water requirements or are drought tolerant
Planting programs may want to prioritize trees that use low amounts of water because climate models predict that drought and heat waves will increase water loss from tree surfaces (evaporative demands).
- Consider plants that can tolerate multiple water levels or soil moisture levels
In some regions, flooding will be an increased risk within this century. Selecting trees that have been known to be tolerant to multiple water levels may increase their ability to survive in projected flood-prone areas. There is limited information on tree species’ levels of tolerance to water levels. Communities should consider working with local arborists to identify trees that can tolerate high water levels if increased flooding is projected.
- Identify trees that can do well in new projected USDA hardiness zones
Select trees that can potentially do well in the projected future U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Plant Hardiness Zones, minimum and maximum temperatures.
- Identify trees that can do well in new projected air temperature
Warmer temperatures alone can increase forest water stress independent of precipitation amount and can accelerate drought-induced mortality. Selecting species that have been known to thrive in multiple temperatures can potentially increase their chances of survival in a rapidly changing climate.
- Select trees with more tolerance for salinity levels
The SCAG region has been increasingly using recycled water, which tends to have higher salinity due to the water treatment process. Selecting species that have higher salinity tolerance may increase these trees’ chances of survival.
- Consider pest resilience in the tree palette
Climate change is projected to induce uncertain changes to pest environments. Due to warmer climates, some communities may experience new and longer pest seasons. Diverse species will decrease the chances that an urban forest made up of a singular species will be wiped out due to pests targeting that species.
- Consider native trees that can thrive and support biodiversity
Species diversity should be an important factor for communities when forming tree lists to account for both the need for the urban forest to provide habitat for native species and climate resiliency.
- Create a plan for managing non-native and invasive species
Non-native plants are species that have not historically lived in one area but have been introduced by humans. Invasive species are also non-native but their introduction causes harm to the surrounding ecosystem. Communities should avoid the use of known invasive species and undertake continuous monitoring to ensure that any non-native species that are introduced do not cause harm to the local ecosystem. There is no source of information that comprehensively identifies which species will be invasive in a local area. Communities should utilize the best available resources and work with local arborists to select trees that have not been known to be invasive and plan for continuous monitoring.
Resources for Creating a Tree List
- Projected risk factors and future climate
Risk Factor: This tool by the First Street Foundation allows you to see the projected risk factors of your city, including flood, extreme heat, fire and wind factors.
Cal-Adapt: Cal-Adapt allows you to see projected mid-century (2035-2064) and end-century (2070-2099) annual average maximum and minimum temperatures, and annual average precipitation, broken down by cities, counties, congressional districts and other boundaries.
Climate Assessment Tool: This tool allows you to see how suitable certain taxa, or groups of trees are to the future climate of a botanic garden’s location or by longitude and latitude coordinates. Not all species of plants and botanical gardens are included. The analysis of the climate suitability of species is based on mean annual temperature.
Future Plant USDA Hardiness Zone: This interactive web tool by Davey Institute and Arbor Day Foundation allows you to see the projected new USDA Hardiness Zone of your area based on multiple emissions scenarios.
USDA Hardiness Zone Map: The USDA Hardiness Zone Map allows you to identify your current USDA hardiness zone based on zip code. The map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature. Although plants are often noted to show that they can live in certain USDA zones. A plant may still thrive in an area not indicated to match its USDA zone.
- Tree characteristics
Climate Ready Trees: Climate Ready Trees is a resource compiled by a coalition of university, USDA forest service researchers, and ecological non-profits that highlights a number of trees that may be particularly suited to tolerate the stressors of a changing climate.
SelecTree: SelecTree allows you to search California trees by tree characteristics such as whether they are native, height, tree shape, salinity tolerance, water use rating, sun exposure and landscape information such as USDA hardiness zone, sunset climate zone, utility precautions, available planting size, and more.
The Water Use Classification of Landscape Species: This database by the UC Davis California Center for Urban Horticulture assigns ratings for irrigation needs from very low to high.
CalScape: This resource by the California Native Plant Society can help you identify where, on a map, different native species are found in California. This resource also provides basic information about plant characteristics and how to care for them.
Waterwise Garden Planner: This tool allows you to search for different California plants based on whether they’re native, plant type (trees or shrubs), evergreen or deciduous, water needs, sun exposure, aesthetics and functions.
- Where trees historically lived and invasiveness
CalScape: This resource by the California Native Plant Society can help you identify where, on a map, different native species are found in California. This resource also provides basic information about plant characteristics and how to care for them.
Inventory of Invasive Plants: This list by the California Invasive Plant Council ranks the invasiveness of species.
- Guides on how to create your tree palette
California Tree Palette for Schoolyard Forests: This resource by the Green Schoolyards of America is intended to help you identify trees that are climate-resilient and are appropriate for a schoolyard setting by sunset climate zones in California.
Planning for resilient urban forests: A datadriven approach to assessing urban tree species suitability in California: This presentation by Natalie Love, Ph.D. describes a process by which communities can use to select a tree list for their city.
Climate Change and Urban Forests: This presentation by Igor Lacan, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, (UCANR) describes the space-for-time substitution process that can be used to identify tree species for a community’s future climate.
Tree Species Selection Guidelines for the Albuquerque Metro Area: A study on identifying climate-ready trees by the Nature Conservancy for the Albuquerque area.
- List of locally specific climate-resilient trees considered by other organizations
California Tree Palette for Schoolyard Forests: This resource by the Green Schoolyards of America is intended to help identify trees that are climate-resilient and are appropriate for a schoolyard setting by sunset climate zones in California.
Planting Resilience: Identifying Climate-Resilient Tree Species and Increasing Their Presence in Los Angeles’ Urban Forest: This study by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and TreePeople identified 28 climate-resilient tree species that show promise for Los Angeles County.
Climate Ready Trees: Climate Ready Trees is a resource compiled by a coalition of university, USDA forest service researchers, and ecological non-profits that highlights a number of trees that may be particularly suited to tolerate the stressors of a changing climate.
Tree Species Selection Guidelines for the Albuquerque Metro Area: A study on identifying climate-ready trees by the Nature Conservancy for the Albuquerque area.
References
- Adams, H. D., Guardiola-Claramonte, M., Barron-Gafford, G. A., Villegas, J. C., Breshears, D. D., Zou, C. B., … & Huxman, T. E. (2009). Temperature sensitivity of drought-induced tree mortality portends increased regional die-off under global-change-type drought. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 106(17), 7063-7066.
- Allen, C. D., Macalady, A. K., Chenchouni, H., Bachelet, D., McDowell, N., Vennetier, M., … & Cobb, N. (2010). A global overview of drought and heat-induced tree mortality reveals emerging climate change risks for forests. Forest ecology and management, 259(4), 660-684.
- Ball, J., Mason, S., Kiesz, A., McCormick, D., & Brown, C. (2007). Assessing the hazard of emerald ash borer and other exotic stressors to community forests. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, 33(5), 350.
- Bigler, C., Gavin, D. G., Gunning, C., & Veblen, T. T. (2007). Drought induces lagged tree mortality in a subalpine forest in the Rocky Mountains. Oikos, 116(12), 1983-1994.; Pedersen, B. S. (1998). Modeling tree mortality in response to short-and long-term environmental stresses. Ecological modelling, 105(2-3), 347-351.
- City of Long Beach, & Alta Planning + Design. (2021). Cooling Long Beach Urban Heat Island Reductions Strategies. City of Long Beach.
- Lacan, I. (2023). Climate Change and Urban Forests.
- Lohr, V. I., Kendal, D., & Dobbs, C. (2014, August). Urban trees worldwide have low species and genetic diversity, posing high risks of tree loss as stresses from climate change increase. In XXIX International Horticultural Congress on Horticulture: Sustaining Lives, Livelihoods and Landscapes (IHC2014): V 1108 (pp. 263-270).
- McPherson, E. G., Berry, A. M., & van Doorn, N. S. (2018). Performance testing to identify climate-ready trees. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 29, 28-39.
- McPherson, E. G., van Doorn, N., & de Goede, J. (2016). Structure, function and value of street trees in California, USA. Urban forestry & urban greening, 17, 104-115.
- Miao, S., Zou, C. B., & Breshears, D. D. (2009). Vegetation responses to extreme hydrological events: sequence matters. The American Naturalist, 173(1), 113-118.
- Ndugga, N. and Samantha Artia. Extreme Heat and Racial Health Equity. Kaiser Family Foundation. Accessed at https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/extreme-heat-racial-health-equity/.
- Pike, K., O’Herrin, K., Klimas, C., & Vogt, J. (2021). Tree preservation during construction: An evaluation of a comprehensive municipal tree ordinance. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 57, 126914.
- Pincetl, S. (2010). Implementing municipal tree planting: Los Angeles million-tree initiative. Environmental management, 45(2), 227-238.
- Rosenfeld, A., & Waugh, B. (2019, January 7). Why People Reject City Trees. The University of Vermont; The University of Vermont. https://www.uvm.edu/news/gund/why-people-reject-city-trees
- Schneider, R. J. (2011). Understanding sustainable transportation choices: Shifting routine automobile travel to walking and bicycling. University of California, Berkeley.
- Song, X. P., Tan, P. Y., Edwards, P., & Richards, D. (2018). The economic benefits and costs of trees in urban forest stewardship: A systematic review. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 29, 162-170.; Vogt, J., Hauer, R. J., & Fischer, B. C. (2015). The costs of maintaining and not maintaining the urban forest: A review of the urban forestry and arboriculture literature. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, 41(6), 293-323
- Vibrant Cities Lab : Resources for Urban Forestry, Trees, and Green Infrastructure. (n.d.). Www.vibrantcitieslab.com; Vibrant Cities Lab. Retrieved May 15, 2023, from https://www.vibrantcitieslab.com
- Wattenhofer, D. J., & Johnson, G. R. (2021). Understanding why young urban trees die can improve future success. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 64, 127247.
- Widney, S., Fischer, B. C., & Vogt, J. (2016). Tree mortality undercuts ability of tree-planting programs to provide benefits: results of a three-city study. Forests, 7(3), 65
The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) developed the Regional Climate Adaptation Framework (Framework) to assist local and regional jurisdictions in managing the negative impacts of climate change. The Framework provides an overview of how the Southern California region can work together to plan and prepare for the impacts of sea level rise, extreme heat, increasingly frequent and damaging wildfires, and other climate-related issues. With the impacts of severe climate hazards and issues already being felt, adaptation planning is necessary to help individuals, communities, and natural systems cope with the unavoidable consequences of a changing climate. The Framework was developed over a two-year period, beginning in February 2019 and ending in February 2021.
SCAG worked with local municipalities, advocacy groups, universities, and other stakeholders to assess the unique issues affecting the SCAG region, available planning tools and resources, scientific data, and messaging strategies. Many local jurisdictions do not have the resources to adequately assess their local hazards, develop effective adaptation plans, and participate in regional planning efforts – our framework provides jurisdictions with a roadmap to adaptation in an effort to help build a more resilient Southern California.
SCAG developed the Southern California Climate Adaptation Planning Guide as a resource for local planning that describes the range of climate change hazards the SCAG region is likely to face in the coming decades.
It also describes adaptation principles geared to the region and outlines a general process of adaptation planning that can be applied by any agency, no matter where they fall across the spectrums of funding, available resources, knowledge of vulnerabilities, and planning sophistication. It provides member agencies, including towns, cities, counties, and subregional organizations, with a compendium of tools, resources, and best practices to efficiently advance their adaptation planning using the best resources available.
The project was funded by the Caltrans Adaptation Planning grant program.
Problems of traffic congestion and air pollution are not new to this region. Residents have experienced the costs of congestion in time and dollars and often in terms of health effects as well. State legislation, Assembly Bill 32 and Senate Bill 375, sets new standards for California’s production of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Senate Bill 375 specifically gives Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), such as the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), the responsibility to work with local jurisdictions to develop a regional strategy for reducing GHG emissions.
Assembly Bill 32 and Senate Bill 375 legislation have created an impetus for SCAG to think deeply about the best long-term approaches to these challenges. To this end, SCAG is seizing the opportunity to work with its partner agencies, local business leaders, and technical experts from the region to identify a range of options to meet the region’s needs for equitable economic development, pollution reduction, housing and transportation planning. Doing so will support economically viable and sustainable communities.
Final Project Report & Appendices
Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Impact Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Policy Options for the Southern California Climate and Economic Development Project (CEDP) Final Report.
Inventory & Forecast
The Center for Climate Strategies (CCS) prepared an inventory and forecast of the SCAG region’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and anthropogenic sinks (carbon storage) from 1990 to 2035. The inventory and reference case projection (forecast) estimates served as a starting point to assist the Project Stakeholder Committee (PSC) and its Technical Work Groups (TWGs) with an initial comprehensive understanding of the region’s current and possible future GHG emissions. This information informed the identification and analysis of policy options for mitigating GHG emissions.
Stakeholders & Participants
The Project Stakeholder Committee (PSC) comprises a diverse group of stakeholders who bring broad perspective and expertise to the topic of transportation, economic growth, policy frameworks in the region and climate change.
Members come from business, non-governmental organizations, academia, and multiple levels of government. Members are appointed by SCAG.
General Resources
- California Air Resources Board, Climate Change Scoping Plan
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
- National Climate Assessment (2014)
SCAG Resources
- Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Impact Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Policy Options for the Southern California Climate and Economic Development Project (CEDP) Final Report
- Powering the Future: A Vision for Clean Energy, Clear Skies, and a Growing Economy in Southern California
- Climate Change and the Future of Southern California
Adaptation Resources
- CalAdapt
- Adapting California Water Management to Climate Change
- Impacts of Sea Level Rise on California Coast
Climate & Economic Development Project Resources
- Assembly Bill (AB) 32 – The California Global Warming Solutions Act California Air
- Senate Bill (SB) 375
SCAG Fact Sheets & Related Information
- What is SB 375?
- RTP/SCS Joint-Work Program
- SB 375 and CEQA Streamlining
- Economic Impact of the 2012-2035 RTP/SCS
Links to Related Agencies, Organizations and Documents
- California Air Resources Board (ARB)
- CARB California 1990 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Level and 2020 Limit
- Staff Report California 1990 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Level and 2020 Emissions Limit, Nov. 16, 2007
Climate Impact Group
California Coastal Commission – Sea Level Rise
Climate change mitigation means reducing or sequestering greenhouse gases, whereas adaptation is preparing for the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Over the coming century, some climate change studies, such as the 2009 California Adaptation Strategy, project that Southern California will be expected to manage extremes of precipitation and temperature, increased storm frequency and intensity, and sea-level rise. These climate changes would impact streamflow, flooding, water supply, sea level, and soil water content. These impacts would affect agriculture, stormwater, waste-water treatment, wildfire risk, roads, forest health, and biodiversity. These impacts will also have consequences for public health, economic livelihoods, the financial sector, the insurance industry, individual comfort, and recreation.
Failure to anticipate and plan for climate variability and the prospect of extreme weather and related events could have serious impacts on the regional economy and quality of life. Starting now and continuing in the years and decades ahead, we can adapt to these risks through resilient resource and land use choices.
Climate change mitigation includes actions taken to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases being added to the atmosphere in order to reduce the effects of climate change. In contrast, adaptation involves acting to tolerate the effects of global warming. Most often, climate change mitigation involves reductions in the concentrations of greenhouse gases, either by reducing their sources or by increasing their sink/absorption.
The UN defines mitigation in the context of climate change, as a human intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases. Examples include using fossil fuels more efficiently for industrial processes or electricity generation, switching to renewable energy (solar energy or wind power), improving the insulation of buildings, and expanding forests and other “sinks” to remove greater amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Climate Change and the Future of Southern California is an essays publication which introduces readers to the scenarios, impacts and potential responses with respect to climate change. It is written mainly from the perspective of Southern California. A primary objective is to disseminate information and perspectives about climate change, particularly with respect to its impacts under various scenarios, and to illustrate how Southern California could respond to address this global challenge.
It should be noted that this publication may not capture the full spectrum of opinions and perspectives on the science of climate change or its underlying causes. Discussions of this subject can be found from numerous sources. The primary intent of this set of essays is to focus on potential impacts and response options for the Southern California region. Our hope is to continue raising the awareness and understanding of climate change issues and facilitate constructive policy dialogues and actions.
Preparation of Climate Change and the Future of Southern California was guided by SCAG’s Benchmarks Task Force, consisting of local elected officials and regional issue experts in Southern California.
Climate Change and the Future of Southern California - Complete Report
For additional information, please contact Ping Chang, the report’s editor at (213) 236-1839 or email chang@scag.ca.gov.
The Climate Equity Compendium provides resources for local planners in the SCAG region to advocate for and implement equitable and actionable solutions for their jurisdictions’ climate adaptation efforts. SCAG developed the Compendium in partnership with more than 60 local jurisdictions, focusing on the major concerns of climate adaptation for local agencies: providing resources to assist with staff and funding shortages, removing barriers to relevant data and resources and overcoming the challenges of effective, equitable outreach. SCAG will continue to update the Climate Equity Compendium as the challenges of climate equity evolve.
Read the Climate Equity Compendium
The changing climate will impact Southern California in several ways, including more days with extreme heat, rising sea levels, more frequent wildfires and shifting precipitation rates. With this reality, urban greening, and urban trees in particular, can play a key role in improving community health, mobility, and overall quality of life, and achieving greenhouse gas emissions goals. SCAG outlines urban greening as the greening of developed areas within Southern California communities that can benefit from cooling strategies to reduce urban heat island effects and extreme heat.
The Southern California Association of Governments is pleased to be developing a Regional Climate Adaptation Framework, which assists local and regional jurisdictions in managing the negative impacts of climate change.
Working together to identify a range of options to meet the region’s needs for equitable economic development, pollution reduction, housing and transportation planning.
Climate change mitigation means reducing or sequestering greenhouse gases, whereas adaptation is preparing for the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Over the coming century, some climate change studies, such as the 2009 California Adaptation Strategy, project that Southern California will be expected to manage extremes of precipitation and temperature, increased storm frequency and intensity, and sea-level rise. These climate changes would impact streamflow, flooding, water supply, sea level, and soil water content. These impacts would affect agriculture, stormwater, waste-water treatment, wildfire risk, roads, forest health, and biodiversity. These impacts will also have consequences for public health, economic livelihoods, the financial sector, the insurance industry, individual comfort, and recreation.
Climate change mitigation includes actions taken to reduce the amount of GHG being added to the atmosphere in order to reduce the effects of climate change.
Climate Change and the Future of Southern California is an essays publication which introduces readers to the scenarios, impacts and potential responses with respect to climate change.
