DRAFT Climate Action Plan - PMC

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INTRODUCTION
Increased Severity and Frequency of Flood Events
Forecasts indicate more intense rainfall events, generating more frequent or extensive
runoff, and flooding may result from a changing climate. Localized flood events may
increase in periods of heavy rain. As explained by the Climate Adaptation Strategy,
California’s water system is structured and operated to balance between water storage
for dry months and flood protection during rainy seasons. Although climate change is
likely to lead to a drier climate overall, risks from regular, more intense rainfall events
can generate more frequent and/or more severe flooding that upsets this managed
balance between storage and protection. Additionally, erosion may increase and water
quality may decrease as a result of increased rainfall amounts.
Rising Sea Levels
Sea level rise is attributed to the increase of average ocean temperatures and the
resulting thermal expansion and the melting of snow and ice contributing to the volume
of water held in the oceans. While many effects of climate change will impact Sunnyvale,
sea level rise is one specific impact that has been extensively studied and quantified,
and its effects mapped. The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development
Commission (BCDC) has led research efforts on sea level rise in the Bay Area and
issued a report on sea level rise in April 2009, which states that sea levels in the Bay
Area will rise 16 inches by mid-century and 55 inches by the end of the century.
Approximately 180,000 acres of the Bay Area could be inundated by mid-century, and
213,000 acres could be flooded by the end of the century, including 93 percent of both
the Oakland and the San Francisco airports.
The speed and amount of sea level rise will be influenced by the increase in average
temperatures and rate of melting of glacial ice. While there is a degree of uncertainty in
projections, the actual rate of sea level rise is occurring more quickly than many previous
projections had estimated.
REGULATORY CONTEXT
Sunnyvale’s climate action efforts will be implemented within a robust federal, state,
regional, and local framework. Although the federal government has yet to enact
legislative targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, California was the first state
in the nation to adopt GHG emissions reduction targets in 2006 under Assembly Bill 32
(AB 32). This section highlights the federal and state legislative framework guiding the
preparation and implementation of this Plan.
Federal Framework
Draft
While current federal government regulations lack strict emissions reduction targets, the
federal government is supporting emissions reduction efforts of state and local
governments in a variety of ways. Numerous proposals are currently under way at the
federal level to limit emissions from power plants, impose pricing on carbon emissions,
and provide federal energy efficiency legislation.
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CITY OF SUNNYVALE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN