Organizing U'S' Counties for Climate Protection

1

• Organizing U.S. Counties for Climate Protection
• Stephanie A McClellan, Ph.D.
• NACo Green Government Initiative, Advisory Board
  Member
• Councilmember, New Castle County, Delaware
• Assistant Professor, Leadership
• University of Delaware
• 4th Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts and
  Islands, Hanoi, Vietnam, April 9, 2008

2
Purpose

• Join dialogue of building networks of local
  governments for climate protection
• Coastal counties in United States
• Anticipated impacts from climate change
• National organizational method for building
  networks of U.S. counties for climate protection
• Look ahead for next steps and future needs

3
About U.S. Counties

• 3,066 counties in U.S.
• 600 coastal watershed counties
• U.S. counties
• Land area variation
• From 26 square miles (Arlington County, Va.) to
  87,860 square miles (North Slope Borough, Alaska)
  
• Population variation
• From Loving County, Texas, with 140 residents to
  Los Angeles County, California, which is home to
  9.2 million people
• Variation in authority
• 48 of the 50 states have operational county
  governments
• Wide variety of services and scope of authority

4
About NACo

• The National Association of Counties (NACo) is
  the only national organization that represents
  counties in the U.S.
• A full service organization
• Legislative Affairs
• Research
• Technical Assistance
• Public Affairs Assistance
• Enterprise Services

5
Why Counties?

• Absence of national policy and international
  treaty which U.S. has ratified
• Local governments lead the way
• Cities
• ICLEI
• Local environmental initiatives
• All jurisdictional types
• Counties
• Regulate land use and built environment

6
(No Transcript)
7
Coastal County Priorities

• Managing pressures of growth
• Recreation
• Hazard mitigation
• Environmental protection
• Sea level rise and extremes in meteorological
  events caused by climate change
• Effects of land use policy on all of the above
• Geospatial tools that show link between land use
  policy and better coastal management

Source Coastal County Geospatial Needs Summary
Report, NACo, 2007
8
Anticipated Impacts

• Reduced effectiveness of sea walls with sea level
  rise
• Loss of near-shore and coastal wetlands to sea
  level rise, where sufficient space for habitat
  migration is not available
• Increased erosion or damage to coastal
  infrastructure, dunes, beaches and other natural
  features due to sea level rise and storm surge

9
Anticipated Impacts

• Resettlement absorption from nearby counties
• Increased costs for maintenance and expansion of
  coastal erosion control (natural or man-made)
• Saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers due to
  sea level rise

10
Anticipated Impacts

• Increased risk of pollution from coastal
  hazardous waste sites due to sea level rise
• Loss of cultural and historical sites on
  coastline to sea level rise and related impacts

Sources Preparing for Climate Change A
Guidebook for Local, Regional, and State
Governments, King County, WA, ICLEI, Climate
Impacts Group, 2007 Coastal County Geospatial
Needs Summary Report, NACo, 2007
11
Climate Change and U.S. Counties

• Counties across U.S. strongly requested
  information, resources, policy networks re
  climate change
• NACos Green Government Initiative
• Launched in response in March 2007
• Serves as a catalyst between local governments
  and the private sector to facilitate green
  government practices, products and policies that
  result in financial savings and environmental
  benefit

12
Green Government Initiative Advisory Board
(Counties)

• Arlington County, Virginia (chair)
• Calhoun County, Alabama
• Santa Cruz County, Arizona
• Trinity County, California
• New Castle County, Delaware
• Sarasota County, Florida
• Lake County, Illinois
• Story County, Iowa
• Johnson County, Kansas
• Oakland County, Michigan
• Blue Earth County, Minnesota
• Clark County, Nevada
• Clackamas County, Oregon
• Brookings County, South Dakota
• King County, Washington
• Dane County, Wisconsin

13
Green Government Initiative Advisory Board
(Private Sector)

• The American Institute of Architects
• Constellation Energy
• Diesel Technology Forum
• Edison Electric Institute
• General Motors
• IBM
• Johnson Controls, Inc.
• NACo, Financial Services Center/U.S. Communities
• NORESCO
• Office Depot
• Real Estate Advocacy Group for States
• Siemens
• U.S. Green Building Council
• Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
• Waste Management

14
Green Government Initiative

• Trainings and workshops
• Best practices, white papers, issue briefs,
  articles, newsletter
• Electronic green government network
• Approx. 500 individuals

15
Green Government Initiative

• Database of Green Initiatives
• County policies
• Program descriptions
• Case studies
• Job descriptions
• Resolutions
• Includes input from at least 33 coastal counties

16
NACos Climate Protection Program

• NACo resolution (March 2007)
• Urged Congress to address global warming,
  regardless of its source
• Called upon NACo to take a leadership role in
  helping counties address the issue
• County Climate Protection Program launched by
  NACo (July 2007) in response to call for
  leadership

17
County Climate Protection Program

• Participating counties adopt pledge to reduce
  greenhouse gas emissions
• Each county sets a numerical target
• Focus on flexibility
• Acknowledges that one size does not fit all
• Programs pledge template allows counties to
  either
• Select from existing national campaigns with
  numerical target
• Establish own target
• Template at www.naco.org/climateprotection

18
County Climate Protection Program

• NACOs role
• Providing the leadership that is critical to
  fostering success in meeting targets
• National Climate Protection Forum (Sept, 2007)
• Over 115 attendees (at least 25 from coastal
  counties)
• Focus on mitigation and adaptation
• Provided technical expertise re climate change
• Building networks
• Facilitating dialogue
• Regional forums beginning in Fall 2008

19
Conclusions

• Green Government Initiative and Climate
  Protection Program
• Unleashing the organizational capacity of a
  representative organization (NACo) to address
  climate change issues at local level
• Providing leadership
• Modeling the way
• Inspiring a shared vision
• Enabling others to act

20
Looking Ahead

• Many important mitigation/adaptation policies are
  implemented at local level
• Remaining unmet needs of counties
• Good science
• Where do counties get good science-based models
  to predict scenarios? Risk and vulnerability
  assessments?
• The need for good local leadership
• How do you foster effective leadership to make
  these policy changes?
• The need for local support structures
• What is the role of community-based organizations
  as supplemental organizational structures and
  models for support?