On February 17, 2012, the New York Times published an article by local Bay Area journalist John Upton entitled "Bay Area Climate Change Plans Lack Regional Cooperation." In it, the Joint Policy Committee (JPC), a multi-agency policy coordinating committee which tackles many regional issues, including climate change, is characterized as "dysfunctional" and "a waste of public money that should be disbanded" in the opinion of many local lawmakers and committee members.*
Today, Bruce Riordan, the Climate Consultant for the JPC, issued this response to Upton's article, pointing to some of the good local projects and agencies benefiting from Bay Area-level coordination (excerpted from an e-mail sent to local Bay Area climate planners):
A number of you have asked about our reaction to the New York Times piece last Friday, "Bay Area Climate Change Plans Lack Regional Cooperation." [...]
On climate adaptation/resilience—preparing our communities for the impacts from sea level rise, extreme storms, water shortages, etc.—is the Bay Area moving at the speed and scale required? No. Are we moving ahead on adaptation planning? Yes, and some of the best work is around regional cooperation. Here are three good examples.
The two-year Adapting to Rising Tides project is doing the hard work from Emeryville to Union City, learning how how cities, counties, special districts, community organizations, and the private sector should best work together to assess risk and create strategies on sea level rise and extreme storm events. Not flashy headline material, but BCDC, NOAA and the local partners are learning many valuable lessons that will eventually help all 50+ cities and 9 counties that touch the bay. By the way, have you seen the [California] King Tides Initiative photos? Fascinating.
Bay Area water agencies—we have a bunch of them for water supply, wastewater, stormwater, flood control, water quality—are currently developing the latest Integrated Regional Water Management Plan, will include a major section on climate impacts on water for the bay region. You can keep track of the IRWMP (aren't we good at catchy names?) [here at the website of the Bay Area Integrated Regional Management Plan].
The JPC's Bay Area Climate and Energy Resilience Project [...] is developing the commitment, resources and leadership that will be critical for long-term Bay Area-wide collaboration. To be completed in late May, our project will bring together the latest science with important learning on potential strategies, decision-making structures and financing approaches. The information is actually the easy part—as the NYT said we already have lots of plans and reports. We think the real work is creating great working relationships and trust, and building a structure for decision-making on the impacts like sea level rise and water shortages that MUST be made by all 101 cities and 9 counties working together. [...]
Finally, while we definitely need more coordination, not everything about climate adaptation must be done regionally. [There are] many [...] wonderful climate adaptation projects and stakeholders [happening] RIGHT NOW in the Bay Area. [...] We need to encourage more of this type of innovation and experimentation—a hallmark of the Bay Area's great history. Those of us in the "coordination business" need to focus 100% on where we can add real value to these efforts.
* Bruce Riordan responds specifically to this characterization by Upton noting "Scott Haggerty and a few others right now are calling the JPC 'dysfunctional' and a 'waste of public money that should be disbanded.' ... I would suggest it is more accurate to say that SOME local lawmakers and committee members... not MANY."
Friday, February 24, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Not climate-change specific, but still important: 8th Environmental Justice Symposium at Berkeley Law
Check it out-- the UC Berkeley School of Law is hosting the 8th Annual Environmental Justice Symposium, sponsored by the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment (CLEE). The theme this year is "Overcoming Invisibility: Environmental Justice in Rural America."
I was born and raised in a rural, isolated, economically depressed area in Northern New York, and I am always mentally testing proposals for climate change adaptation as to whether they are designed only for city-dwellers, or whether they might be adopted to benefit rural populations. Laurel Firestone from the Community Water Center in the Central Valley is someone I respect greatly as someone thinking beyond city-oriented interventions for access to water under climate change in California. She is presenting at this conference on March 1.
I'm not sure why the schedule of events isn't posted on CLEE's site, but it was circulated by means of a semi-private mailing list I'm on, so here you go (note that the closing talk on March 2 is already full, though a wait list has been started):
-- This EJ Symposium at the Berkeley Law School is free, including food. --
WHAT: THE 8TH ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SYMPOSIUM
WHEN: February 27th - March 2nd, 12:45-2:00pm each day
WHY: Rural communities and the environmental justice issues that impact these areas are often overlooked. We are bringing together organizers, attorneys, and community members who work in these areas to drop some knowledge, share their experiences, and kick off what we hope will be great ongoing discussions.
Save the date for SEEJ's upcoming Environmental Justice Symposium! The topic this year is "Overcoming Invisibility: Environmental Justice in Rural America." Join us for a week of lunchtime panel discussions on important environmental justice issues impacting rural communities. Lunch will be provided each day and all events are free and open to the public. See below for a description of events and speakers each day. We look forward to seeing you there and please pass on the information to your networks!
Schedule for the Week:
*Monday, February 27, 2012. 12:45-2:00pm. Room 105.*
KEYNOTE EVENT: THE STRUGGLE FOR CLEAN ENERGY ON TRIBAL LANDS
Leaders from the Navajo Nation-- Anna Rondon (New Energy Economy), Wahleah Jones (Black Mesa Water Coalition), Brad Bartlett (Western Energy Justice Project), and Caitlin Sislin (Women's Earth Alliance)—will discuss the struggle against mining and towards clean energy alternatives on tribal lands.
~~~Lunch provided from Cafe Gratitude~~~
*Tuesday, February 28, 2012. 12:45-2:00pm. Room 295.*
GENDER, RACE, AND POWER IN THE EJ MOVEMENT
This event brings together female attorneys, advocates and organizers of color to explore ways gender and race have impacted women's experiences and strategies leading struggles for environmental and economic justice in rural America. Come participate in a conversation with Anna Rondon (New Energy Economy) and Felicia Espinosa (California Rural Legal Assistance), moderated by Tracy Perkins (U.C. Santa Cruz).
~~~Lunch provided from Cheeseboard~~~
*Wednesday, February 29, 2012. 12:45-2:00pm. Room 105.*
WASTING THE VALLEY: DISCRIMINATORY SITING OF HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL
While cities produce most of California's waste, rural areas bear the brunt of it. All three of the state's Class I hazardous waste dumps are sited near low-income, unincorporated communities. Ingrid Brostrom, an attorney with the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, and Maricela Mares-Alatorre, a community activist and organizer, will discuss the ongoing struggle in Kettleman City, a rural community near a 1,600-acre hazardous and municipal solid waste dump that has experienced a rash of severe birth defects and infant deaths over the past several years.
~~~Lunch provided from Mandela Food Cooperative~~~
*Thursday, March 1, 2012. 12:45-2:00pm. Room 105*
NOT A DROP TO DRINK: THE STRUGGLE FOR POTABLE WATER IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY
Veronica & Joanna Mendoza, a mother and daughter from Cutler, who are also representing the AGUA Coalition and Vecinos Unidos will join Laurel Firestone and Carolina Balazs from the Community Water Center on a panel to discuss disparities in access to clean drinking water in the Central Valley.
~~~Lunch provided from Sunrise Deli Falafel~~~
*Friday, March 2, 2012. 12:45-2:00pm. Dean’s Conf. Rm.*
A CALL TO ACTION IN RURAL AMERICA
Leaders from major organizations in the Central Valley such as California Rural Legal Assistance and Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment will engage in a dialogue with students and professors about Boalt’s current and future commitment to rural issues. Lisa Pruitt from UC Davis Law will moderate.
[LIMITED SEATING. PLEASE RSVP TO: shainahyder-- at --fulbrightmail.org]
~~~Lunch provided from Gregiore~~~
I was born and raised in a rural, isolated, economically depressed area in Northern New York, and I am always mentally testing proposals for climate change adaptation as to whether they are designed only for city-dwellers, or whether they might be adopted to benefit rural populations. Laurel Firestone from the Community Water Center in the Central Valley is someone I respect greatly as someone thinking beyond city-oriented interventions for access to water under climate change in California. She is presenting at this conference on March 1.
I'm not sure why the schedule of events isn't posted on CLEE's site, but it was circulated by means of a semi-private mailing list I'm on, so here you go (note that the closing talk on March 2 is already full, though a wait list has been started):
-- This EJ Symposium at the Berkeley Law School is free, including food. --
WHAT: THE 8TH ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SYMPOSIUM
WHEN: February 27th - March 2nd, 12:45-2:00pm each day
WHY: Rural communities and the environmental justice issues that impact these areas are often overlooked. We are bringing together organizers, attorneys, and community members who work in these areas to drop some knowledge, share their experiences, and kick off what we hope will be great ongoing discussions.
Save the date for SEEJ's upcoming Environmental Justice Symposium! The topic this year is "Overcoming Invisibility: Environmental Justice in Rural America." Join us for a week of lunchtime panel discussions on important environmental justice issues impacting rural communities. Lunch will be provided each day and all events are free and open to the public. See below for a description of events and speakers each day. We look forward to seeing you there and please pass on the information to your networks!
Schedule for the Week:
*Monday, February 27, 2012. 12:45-2:00pm. Room 105.*
KEYNOTE EVENT: THE STRUGGLE FOR CLEAN ENERGY ON TRIBAL LANDS
Leaders from the Navajo Nation-- Anna Rondon (New Energy Economy), Wahleah Jones (Black Mesa Water Coalition), Brad Bartlett (Western Energy Justice Project), and Caitlin Sislin (Women's Earth Alliance)—will discuss the struggle against mining and towards clean energy alternatives on tribal lands.
~~~Lunch provided from Cafe Gratitude~~~
*Tuesday, February 28, 2012. 12:45-2:00pm. Room 295.*
GENDER, RACE, AND POWER IN THE EJ MOVEMENT
This event brings together female attorneys, advocates and organizers of color to explore ways gender and race have impacted women's experiences and strategies leading struggles for environmental and economic justice in rural America. Come participate in a conversation with Anna Rondon (New Energy Economy) and Felicia Espinosa (California Rural Legal Assistance), moderated by Tracy Perkins (U.C. Santa Cruz).
~~~Lunch provided from Cheeseboard~~~
*Wednesday, February 29, 2012. 12:45-2:00pm. Room 105.*
WASTING THE VALLEY: DISCRIMINATORY SITING OF HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL
While cities produce most of California's waste, rural areas bear the brunt of it. All three of the state's Class I hazardous waste dumps are sited near low-income, unincorporated communities. Ingrid Brostrom, an attorney with the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, and Maricela Mares-Alatorre, a community activist and organizer, will discuss the ongoing struggle in Kettleman City, a rural community near a 1,600-acre hazardous and municipal solid waste dump that has experienced a rash of severe birth defects and infant deaths over the past several years.
~~~Lunch provided from Mandela Food Cooperative~~~
*Thursday, March 1, 2012. 12:45-2:00pm. Room 105*
NOT A DROP TO DRINK: THE STRUGGLE FOR POTABLE WATER IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY
Veronica & Joanna Mendoza, a mother and daughter from Cutler, who are also representing the AGUA Coalition and Vecinos Unidos will join Laurel Firestone and Carolina Balazs from the Community Water Center on a panel to discuss disparities in access to clean drinking water in the Central Valley.
~~~Lunch provided from Sunrise Deli Falafel~~~
*Friday, March 2, 2012. 12:45-2:00pm. Dean’s Conf. Rm.*
A CALL TO ACTION IN RURAL AMERICA
Leaders from major organizations in the Central Valley such as California Rural Legal Assistance and Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment will engage in a dialogue with students and professors about Boalt’s current and future commitment to rural issues. Lisa Pruitt from UC Davis Law will moderate.
[LIMITED SEATING. PLEASE RSVP TO: shainahyder-- at --fulbrightmail.org]
~~~Lunch provided from Gregiore~~~
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
13 Days Until Abstracts Due! -- 2nd International Climate Change Adaptation Conference 2012
I wasn't able to attend the first International Climate Change Adaptation Conference held in Queensland, Australia, in 2010.
But I have hopes to make it to the second one, due to be held in Tucson, Arizona, USA, May 29-31, 2012.
The conference is being called "Adaptation Futures" and will be held at the University of Arizona, organized by the Institute of the Environment. They extended the deadline for abstracts to Feb. 15, 2012.
Here's a two-page summary about the conference, including a confirmed list of plenary speakers:
Climate Adaptation Futures: Second International Climate Change Adaptation Conference 2012.
I'm glad to see that "[s]tudents/early-career scholars and participants from developing countries have an opportunity to apply for financial assistance." Full price early (by March 31) registration is $500.
But I have hopes to make it to the second one, due to be held in Tucson, Arizona, USA, May 29-31, 2012.
The conference is being called "Adaptation Futures" and will be held at the University of Arizona, organized by the Institute of the Environment. They extended the deadline for abstracts to Feb. 15, 2012.
Here's a two-page summary about the conference, including a confirmed list of plenary speakers:
Climate Adaptation Futures: Second International Climate Change Adaptation Conference 2012.
I'm glad to see that "[s]tudents/early-career scholars and participants from developing countries have an opportunity to apply for financial assistance." Full price early (by March 31) registration is $500.
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