2014/07/16 Council Agenda Packet

adaptation and risk management. There will be winners and losers in this process. The more time we have to identify changes, and develop strategies to respond and adapt, the greater the potential to amortize economic costs and dislocations. There are also opportunities for economic development. Everett is particularly well situated geographically and strategically to attract new businesses associated with clean energy, transportation, engineering and technologies associated with climate change. As with other aspects of the LCAP, it is time to begin these conversations. F. Identify infrastructure vulnerabilities and plan for appropriate changes Basic infrastructure will be impacted by climate change. Recent storm events have exceeded the design capacity of Everett's combined sewer overflow system resulting in flooding and property damage. Plans to redesign or modify the system are being prepared. Identifying vulnerabilities to the City's infrastructure (e.g. water, waste water, transportation) should be included in the LCAP. Process for developing an LCAP Everett is in the process of updating its Comprehensive Plan in accordance with the GMA. That work is scheduled to be completed by June of 2015, one year from now. The time to develop the first LCAP plan is now. It is important that jurisdictions begin establishing basic issue identification, benchmarks and metrics now, rather than to presume to have all the answers and policies complete by 2015. Certainly communities will identify additional work to be done in the future. Moreover, new and better information will be forthcoming as better science becomes available and new initiatives at the regional, state and federal level and the private sector become more apparent. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of these first LCAP efforts, is to educate communities to the events that are unfolding now, and begin conversations regarding climate change. Planning for climate change - adaptation and mitigation - is a long lead process. It is better to get it started than to get it perfect. There is no finish line to this journey. Hence, this first LCAP should be viewed as the first step, the "base camp" in a long journey to the next generation - and beyond. Appendix: A. Brookings Institute, Planet Policy: "Stopping Distance: What Every 16-Year-Old Knows about Climate Change" http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/planetpolicy/posts/201 4/07/08-stopping-distance- climate-change-palumbi B. National Climate Assessment, Section 21 Northwest C. Puget Sound Regional Council adopted Transportation 2040 ("Appendix L: Climate Change Background" addresses climate change strategies and is attached here as Appendix C) 10