Program Manager Kimley-Horn and Associates, California
Abstract Description: As the effects of a changing climate are becoming more evident, and the rate of that change is accelerating, agencies responsible for the planning and maintenance of critical systems and functions are increasingly being tasked with incorporating resiliency into their long-term comprehensive or general plans. In 2023, the State of Washington took a proactive approach to addressing the effects of the changing climate by enacting House Bill 1181, the Climate Commitment Act. This unprecedented bill requires all fully planning cities and counties to adopt a climate change element. The climate element is designed to reduce overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhance resiliency to, and avoid the adverse impacts of, climate change, which includes efforts to reduce localized GHG emissions and avoid creating or worsening localized climate impacts to vulnerable populations and overburdened communities. Each new climate element shall achieve these goals through policies and programs consistent with the best available science and scientifically credible climate projections and impact scenarios. Goals, policies, and programs of the climate element are supported by an in-depth climate vulnerability analysis that identifies important assets within each sector such as buildings and energy, ecosystems, and transportation. This presentation will discuss the best practices in conducting a climate vulnerability analysis, the community-wide GHG inventory, and vehicle miles traveled (VMTs) reduction strategy. The presentation targets planners, decision makers, and alike to look at best practices from Washington to inform goal, policy, and program development that provide a framework for jurisdictions to address key vulnerabilities. Key lessons learned, best practices, feedback from primary stakeholders will also be shared through ongoing project spotlights from the county to city scale.
