Climate adaptation

How COVID Put a $10 Billion Emergency on the Back Burner

By BARC Staff  | 

A recent article by NBC Bay Area highlights how the Covid-19 pandemic, and the ensuing fiscal crisis, has resulted in a number of critical climate adaptation projects and initiatives being delayed or put on hold as local, regional and state government budgets are squeezed. The article highlights a number of projects and policies to cope with climate impacts that have been delayed due to Covid-19, including a $4.7 billion climate resilience bond proposed by the Governor's office that was shelved.

SF Bay is rising - are we moving fast enough to adapt?

By BARC Staff  | 

An article published in the San Francisco Chronicle today underscores the urgent need for action to address sea level rise on the Bay Area's 400 miles of shoreline, the costs of which could approach $100 billion over time. The article highlights some of the innovative financing and regulatory developments that have occurred to facilitate adaptation actions, with a specific focus on wetland restoration to create buffers against rising seas.

Climate Change Is Hitting the Insurance Industry Hard. Here’s How Swiss Re Is Adapting

By BARC Staff  | 

A recent article in Fortune describes the measures that Swiss Re, the world's largest re-insurance company, are taking to adapt its business model to the realities of climate change and to divert its investments and insurance away from dirty, risky industries such as coal.

As Climate Risk Grows, Cities Test a Tough Strategy: Saying ‘No’ to Developers

By BARC Staff  | 

An article posted in the New York Times this week highlights the alarming rate of climate-vulnerable development occurring across the country and the measures that cities are taking to combat it, including imposing new rules on developers on building homes in floodplains, providing financial assistance for rebuilding in the wake of a storm, and rejecting proposed developments in floodplains outright.

Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) releases new report on sea level rise

By BARC Staff  | 

In December 2019, the California Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) released a new report entitled "Preparing for Rising Seas: How the State Can Help Local Coastal Adaptation Efforts". The report acknowledges that the State has a vested interest in protecting California's coastline, but places most of the responsibility for sea level rise preparation on local governments, as most coastal property is owned either privately or by local governments.

SF Water Board proposes policy changes to protect San Francisco Bay and Outlying Areas

By BARC Staff  | 

Today at the BARC Governing Board meeting, the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) announced proposed changes to the region's Water Quality Control Plan, known as the Basin Plan, to better protect shorelines from sea level rise, storm surges, and flooding.

The proposed measures emphasize greener, more natural solutions, and including strategic placement of sediment to replenish and maintain marshes, changing levees to allow marsh migration to higher elevations, and utilizing gravel to protect the shoreline without harming the ecosystem.