towards a more sustainable
Buffalo Niagara
Climate Change Action
Working Team
Bill Smith, Chair (BNMC)
Himanshu Grover / Lynda Schneekloth, Facilitators
(UB School of Architecture and Planning)
Agenda
• Welcome, Introduction and Process
Update
• Presentation of Draft Climate Adaption
Plan
• Discussion and Synthesis of Plan in relation to
goals and strategies of Climate working group
• Strategy Development: Actions/Lead
Agenda/Tmelines/etc
• Summary and Next
Steps
Working Team Process and Timeline
Climate change
adaptation plan
response plan
REPORT ORGANIZATION
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Introduction
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Community Profile
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Projected impacts in Upstate New York
Local authority
Demographic analysis
Socio-economic composition
Greenhouse gas Emissions
Recommended Adaptation Strategies
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Vision Statement
What does this plan provide?
Planning goals
Plan Organization
Reality of Climate Change
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Appendices
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Vulnerability Assessment
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Social vulnerability assessment
Physical Vulnerability Assessment
Specific Concerns – Infrastructure and
general environment
Strategies for effective action
Broad Adaptation Strategies
Targeted Adaptation Strategies
Integration with other planning initiatives
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Methodology for community self
assessment
Methodology for organization selfassessment
Checklist for new development in a
changing climate
List of resources that provide more details
on climatic changes
List of available financial incentives
GOALS
1. Provide appropriate guidance and information
to ensure that local communities are better
prepared in face of changing climatic trends in
the region.
2. Identify important areas of concern across that
will need to be addressed across different
sectors to enhance community resilience.
3. Evolve a comprehensive methodology for
climate change vulnerability assessment that
can be implemented across the region.
GOALS
4. Outline a balanced approach to addressing
climate change through a combination of –
Conservation, Mitigation, Adaptation, and
Awareness strategies.
5. Encourage strategies with tangible benefits
across multiple sectors that will also contribute
to local economic growth and wealth creation
6. Identify actions that will support continued
sustainability of Great lakes and other natural
resources in the region
Objectives
1. Assess existing risks and vulnerabilities from
climate change
2. Promote Green House Gas (GHG) mitigation
efforts and energy conservation initiatives
3. Promote attention to climate change issues
within other planning initiatives and sectors,
including the regional, and local land use plans.
4. Seek opportunities to inform the community
and decision makers on potential climate change
impacts
Objectives
1. Promote collaborations to raise awareness
about climate change impacts
2. Seek opportunities to develop an
environmentally sustainable economy
3. Maintain and add to the city‘s urban tree
canopy and increase tree diversity within
urbanized areas
4. Support protection of the Great Lakes
NOTABLE IMPACTS
Expected Changes in
Climate
IMPLICTAIONS FOR OUR REGION
• Increased frequency, duration, and intensity of
heat waves
• Increased extreme weather conditions
• Increased rain events – more stream flow,
increase erosion and run-off, flood-risks
• More stress on aging infrastructure
• Lake levels
• In-migration from the Coasts and the Midwest
A combination of Technical and Working Group Reccomednations
RESPONSE STRATEGIES
BROAD STRATEGIES
• CONSERVATION
– Plan, design, develop an manage our region for energy
efficiency and conservation to reduce our carbon footprint
• MITIGATION
– Invest in renewable energy production, specifically from
wind, solar, hydro-electric, and geothermal sources by
developing progressive policies and funding mechanisms
BROAD STRATEGIES
• ADAPTATION
– Anticipate and prepare to adapt to the already
inevitable impacts of climate change under way
now
• AWARENESS
– Promote outreach and engagement efforts to
educate people and decision makers about the
implications of climate change for our region, and
ways it can be addresses through mitigation, and
adaptation
BROAD STRATEGIES
• WEALTH CREATION
– Use energy policy and climate change response
strategies as economic impetus to create jobs and
support local industries and businesses
• GREAT LAKES CONSERVATION
– Protect great lakes which is an integral part of
western New York, and an enormous fresh water
resources for the region and beyond
TARGETED RECCOMENDATIONS
• Drainage and Flood Protection Infrastructure
– Updating of Flood Maps
– Use of 500yr floodplain boundaries in new development
review
– Stronger Flood management ordinances in all communities
– Increase in the flood protection elevations
– Improvement to storm water master plans
– Incorporation of Green Infrastructure in Storm water
management
– Developing Independent Storm water Utility Districts
(SUD)
TARGETED RECCOMENDATIONS
• Drinking Water
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Water supply assessment
Implement a water loss control program
Water demand management
Retrofitting plumbing systems
TARGETED RECCOMENDATIONS
• Waste water
– Target new development in existing sewer districts
– Implement combined sewer overflow (CSO) abatement
programs
• Built Environment
– Improved energy efficiency standards for buildings
– Encourage passive design systems
• Environmental quality and human health
– Prepare public health plans for the region
– Enhanced programs for controlling the disease causing
vectors
SUGGESTED INDICATORS
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Net-energy consumption per-capita
Green energy generation per-capita
Energy savings through energy efficiency projects
Transit trips per-capita
Vehicles miles travelled per-capita
Change in per-capita urban area
Alternative fuel stations
Length of total bike lanes
Developed land per-capita
TODAY’S TASK
Review list of proposed strategies and identify
potential actions, implementation time-frame,
potential sources of funding , and prioritize.