Grc report adapting

1 04
2 05 Sector Recommendations

3 06 ADAPTATION
While concerted efforts to reduce climate pollution
are critical, historic emissions will disrupt the global
climate for many years. Additionally, the lack of
progress on reducing future global emissions means
that additional climate change will exacerbate the
impacts communities are already experiencing.
Projected changes in Pacific Northwest precipitation,
temperature, and sea level will affect health, property,
and the economy.
Snoqualmie River Flooding, 2010
(Photo: King County)
Seattle already experiences, and therefore has
strategies for responding to, the types of impacts
expected with climate change, such as flooding, heat
events, and extreme high tides. However, climate
change will shift the frequency, intensity, and timing
of these events. In many cases, what we now consider
an extreme event will become a more normal event.
Absent effective preparation, the impacts and costs
associated with these events will increase. Therefore,
in addition to working to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, it is imperative that the City assess and
prepare for the impacts of climate change.

Adaptation planning is a complex challenge. The
science of projecting impacts is evolving and
Smoke haze from the Taylor Bridge Fire obscures the
complicated by the uncertainty of future global sun in Yakima,WA. (Photo: Nate Gilbert)
emissions reduction efforts. The result is a planning
environment where past experience is not predictive of future conditions. The systems and
plans put in place to enhance resilience to climate impacts must be frequently re-evaluated
based on best available science. Adaptation planning can be informed by, and is best executed
in coordination with, other related planning efforts designed to foster the city’s resilience, such
as earthquake preparedness, emergency response, and public health.

The GRC’s recommendations are intended to help guide City planning to enhance Seattle’s
resilience to the impacts of a changing climate; they are focused on the following areas:
• Comprehensive Adaptation Assessment & Planning
• Natural Systems
• Utility Systems
• Land Use & the Built Environment
• Community Preparedness

grc letter executive summary background plan-wide sector

49 Green Ribbon Commission Recommendations

01 04 01 04
Sector02 05 02
Recommendations 05
Adaptation
03 06 03 06
KEY DESIGN ELEMENTS
Swale replaces on-street parking lane
Swale: 10.5’ to 16.5’ wide, 14” to 23” deep
Roadway for driving/parking: 26’ wide
Sidewalks: 6’ wide minimum
Mid-block pedestrian crossing: ~17’ wide

The Swale on Yale project contributes to enhancing
the capacity and flexibility of our urban systems. Image
shows the key design elements.
(Image: Seattle Public Utilities)

OVERARCHING RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Monitor the projected impacts of climate change to better understand the projected
changes in precipitation, temperature, and sea level and the resulting impacts on our
environment, economy, and community.

2. Enhance the capacity and flexibility of our urban systems to better meet current needs
and thereby build our ability to be resilient to the impacts of climate change. Many of
these systems are not adequate to meet our current needs (e.g. public health services
are inadequate compared to the scale of today’s needs). As climate conditions change,
pressures on these systems will increase.


Green Ribbon Commission Recommendations 50

1 04
Adaptation
3 06 Comprehensive Adaptation Assessment & Planning

The City of Seattle has been working on climate change adaptation planning for a number of
years; most notable are the leadership efforts of Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle City Light.
However, the City does not have a comprehensive Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.

Leadership Actions
1. The Office of Sustainability & Environment should lead the effort to
develop a comprehensive adaptation strategy that employs an integrated
and interdisciplinary approach, and which maximizes co-benefits such as
fostering healthy communities, natural systems, social equity, and shared
prosperity.
2. Integrate the City’s planning efforts across all relevant departments and
consider the potential cost of inaction in addition to the cost of implementing
actions to enhance resilience.

Quick Start Actions
1. Conduct a citywide assessment of the impacts of temperature,
precipitation, and sea level rise on City infrastructure, operations, facilities
and services, and on human impacts such as health and social services,
with special attention to vulnerable communities.
2. Develop a comprehensive strategy to enhance resilience to changing
climate conditions that builds on work already completed and underway.

The balance of our recommendations provides more detail and suggests priorities for the City’s
adaptation planning efforts. The elements outlined below reflect our recommendation that the
City focus on those actions where the City government has the greatest potential influence
either directly through its operational role, or indirectly through its leadership, outreach or
engagement roles.



01 04 01 04
Sector02 05 02
Recommendations 05
Adaptation
Natural Systems 03 06 03 06
Leadership Actions
1. Protect and Enhance Natural
Systems.
Seattle’s natural systems including
our urban forest and creeks could
be impacted by the changes in our
climate. Fish in our urban and rural
watersheds are at risk from changes
in temperatures and flows. Trees
and other vegetation are at risk from
Tree planting party. (Photo: GGLO)
emerging disease and insect pests The Green Seattle Partnership is working to restore
and may be weakened by changes 2,500 acres of forested parkland by 2025.

in growing conditions which further
increases their susceptibility to
pests. These natural systems support
wildlife and enhance the livability of
developed urban areas. The health
of these systems also is important
in a changing climate as they help
keep our city cooler by mitigating
the heat island effect and reducing
A raccoon discovers a chum salmon
stormwater runoff both of which will
on the banks of Piper’s Creek in Carkeek Park.
be exacerbated by climate change. (Photo: Catherine Anstett, Seattle Public Utilities)

Quick Start Actions
1. Use thermal imaging to identify areas that are likely to be more heavily
impacted by heat events and use data to inform development of urban
forest and tree planting priorities and programs.
2. Keep on pace to restore all 2500 acres of forested parkland by 2025
through the Green Seattle Partnership.
3. Implement projects in several urban creeks that connect floodplains,
increase stormwater storage capacity and improve culverts to minimize
flooding and improve habitat.



1 04
Adaptation
3 06 Utility Systems

The city’s utility systems are highly weather dependent. Our water supply and the majority of
our electricity supply rely on precipitation in the form of rain and snow. Our drainage system
which manages stormwater runoff is highly sensitive to changes in the volume of runoff from
precipitation. Changes in the amount and timing of precipitation and runoff and the frequency,
duration, and intensity of storms have the potential to significantly impact these systems.

Leadership Actions
1. Enhance the Resilience of Seattle’s Electricity System.
Reducing demand for weather dependent hydro-electricity and increasing
the efficiency of system operations will increase the ability of the system
to meet the needs of a growing population and our obligations for natural
resource stewardship under changing climate conditions.
2. Enhance the resilience of Seattle’s Water Supply System.
By better understanding the impacts of future climate conditions on the
city’s water supply system such as changes to snowpack levels and the
timing of runoff, Seattle can develop management strategies for meeting
customer needs under future conditions.
3. Enhance the Resilience of the Drainage System.
Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) enhances flexibility of the drainage
system in managing the uncertainty of future precipitations changes
caused by climate change. GSI also helps prevent pollution and support
wildlife habitat by mimicking the way natural water systems slow, clean
and infiltrate stormwater. In developed areas, GSI augments the finite
capacity of our existing “gray” (pipe and pump) stormwater facilities
and manages increasing amounts of rainwater with a reduced reliance
on the construction and operation of greenhouse gas intensive built
infrastructure. GSI can be sited and designed in ways that advance multiple
urban sustainability goals simultaneously, including: urban water quality,
walkability and pedestrian safety, tree canopy recovery, neighborhood
greenway development, and open space development.



01 04 01 04
Sector02 05 02
Recommendations 05
Adaptation
Utility Systems 03 06 03 06
Quick Start Actions
1. Use applied research and modeling to evaluate climate change impacts
on SCL’s electricity resources and future energy demands beyond the 20-
year planning horizon currently used in the Integrated Resource Plan.
2. Research the impacts of climate change on operations of hydroelectric
projects, including impacts on generating facilities and salmon survival.
Collaborate with external partners on state-of-the-art climate research.
3. Maximize the City’s conservation programs to promote cost-effective
energy-efficiency measures that will help meet much of the city’s future
electricity needs, reduce the need for new energy sources as Seattle grows,
and reduce energy costs to residents and businesses.
4. Implement Advanced Metering to begin the transition to a “smart grid.”
Smart Grid technology will increase our ability to meet customer demand,
detect system overloads that could be caused by heat events or other
issues, and reroute power, thus preventing or minimizing outages and
improving system reliability. Advanced metering will also facilitate the
integration of distributed electricity generation (e.g. solar) and storage.
5. Work with federal and academic research groups to generate the next
generation of climate data downscaled to the watersheds supplying
the city’s water. Use this information to update the water supply impacts
assessment and explore impacts on the intensity of forest fires, turbidity,
the timing of fall rains, and precipitation within the city.
6. Continue to invest in water conservation programs reducing regional per
capita water use.
7. Continue to lead the Water Utility Climate Alliance, a group of ten large
urban water utilities providing leadership in assessing and adapting to the
potential effects of climate change through collaborative action.
8. Adopt a Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Policy and develop an
implementation plan that recognizes the climate adaptation benefits of GSI
(GSI stores, drains, and cleans rain naturally; systems can be designed or
informal; the urban forest acts as GSI). The policy should affirm GSI as the
preferred stormwater management tool, and develop strategic pathways
for multi-agency implementation including expanded asset management
programs, operations and maintenance programs, and funding support.



1 04
Adaptation
3 06 Land Use & the Built Environment

Leadership Actions
1. Evaluate and Prepare for Sea Level Rise Impacts on Shorelines.
An increase in sea level rise is anticipated to inundate low-lying areas and
increase storm surge resulting in infrastructure and property damage,
as well as loss of near shore habitat. While the timing of these impacts
is uncertain, we should begin to consider the implications for land use
planning and shoreline protection measures. Strategies and regulations are
in place now to manage development and maximize the habitat value of
shorelines; however, future conditions may require a reevaluation of these
strategies as sea levels rise.
Preparing for climate change will require both local and regional-scale
actions given that climate change impacts, and the natural systems and
infrastructure affected by climate change, cross jurisdictional boundaries.
Preparing for sea level rise (e.g. through shoreline management, built
infrastructure solutions, and flood management) can best be managed by
working in collaboration with the State, County and neighboring cities to
create a coordinated approach that enhances preparedness and increases
the cost effectiveness of solutions.
2. Enhance the Resilience of the Transportation System.
Our transportation system is fundamental to the health of the city. It is
through this system that we travel to our jobs, school, shops and parks;
that goods move to and through the city; and that emergency vehicles
respond in times of crisis. The transportation system was built to withstand
local weather and climate based on past data for this region. Increased
temperatures, storms, and flooding resulting from climate change could
result in delays, disruptions, and damage to transportation infrastructure.



01 04 01 04
Sector02 05 02
Recommendations 05
Adaptation
Land Use & the Built Environment 03 06 03 06
Leadership Actions (continued)
3. Foster Sustainable Building.
Buildings need to meet not only current conditions, but also perform well
over time in a range of climate conditions, such as greater temperature
extremes. Buildings that use advanced green building standards can be
more resilient, relying less on centralized mechanical systems and more
on decentralized passive and self-generated heating, cooling and water
systems. The vast majority of existing and planned buildings are under
private ownership, highlighting the importance of outreach, collaboration,
incentives and codes in enhancing the city’s resilience.
The City should consider future climate conditions when designing
buildings and identify current or future opportunities to include elements
such as on site stormwater management, distributed power generation,
and passive solar that will foster the ability of the built environment to
function and enhance our resilience under future conditions.

The Bullitt Center, a project of the Bullitt Foundation, aims to be the greenest commercial building in the world. It is designed to
meet the ambitious green building standards of the Living Building Challenge. When complete, it will be a useful case study on
how to design, build and use a high-performing modern office building in Seattle. (Image: The Miller Hull Partnership)



1 04
Adaptation
3 06 Land Use & the Built Environment

Quick Start Actions
1. Evaluate the impacts of sea level rise on shoreline development and
habitat and consider implications for shoreline management strategies.
2. Collaborate with regional partners in addressing the impacts of sea level
rise: Evaluate the full range of impacts based on best available science.
Prepare a worst case scenario response strategy.
3. Assess climate change impacts on transportation infrastructure and
operations. Identify critical transportation needs for emergency response,
goods and services movement, and community access. Evaluate risk and
sensitivity to impacts and adopt strategies for enhancing the resilience of
the system under future conditions, including needed retrofits of current
infrastructure and design considerations for future projects.
4. Pilot an advanced green building standard, such as the Living Building
Challenge, on a City facility to understand the feasibility of such an
approach on a larger scale, to assess its appropriateness for resilient
design, and to promote similar levels of green building in the private
market.
5. Review development codes and incentives, and identify barriers and
potential opportunities, to encourage private development to become
more resilient. Build on the High Performance Building Code, which
incorporates sustainability elements into the building code effective in
2013.



01 04 01 04
Sector02 05 02
Recommendations 05
Adaptation
Community Preparedness 03 06 03 06
Leadership Actions
1. Support Public Health.
Anticipated climate change impacts to human health and wellbeing
include increased heat stress, respiratory diseases, vector-borne diseases,
floods, and storms which stress not only our physical health but our mental
health as well. Our public health system, nationally and locally, is not
adequate to meet current public health needs and will be further stressed
under future climate conditions.
Our most vulnerable populations, including lower income, recent
immigrant, older and very young residents, are at greater risk of these
health impacts and often have fewer resources to respond. As our
population ages and income inequities become even more pronounced,
fostering the resilience of our more vulnerable residents and supporting
their recovery after extreme events becomes increasingly critical.
2. Consider Climate Impacts in Emergency Planning.
The City coordinates internal resources and partners with other agencies,
support organizations, and the community to prepare for, respond to, and
recover from disasters. The Seattle Disaster Readiness and Response Plan
is the city’s primary guiding document for these efforts. Climate change will
exacerbate several impacts considered including heat, flooding, storms,
and disease. The City should continue to consider the likely impacts of
climate change in emergency planning.
3. Consider Climate Impacts in Food Systems Planning.
The crops, livestock, and fisheries that supply our food as well as the
global food distribution system could be significantly impacted by changes
in temperature, amount of carbon dioxide (CO2), and the frequency and
intensity of extreme weather including floods and drought. While the 2012
drought in the US and Europe represents one year of data, such conditions
are expected to become more common in the coming decades. Impacts
on food supply affect price creating issues of access to affordable healthy
food particularly for lower income residents. The City is developing its first
food systems plan. The first goal of the plan is that: All Seattle residents
should have enough to eat and access to affordable, local, healthy,
sustainable, and culturally appropriate food. To meet this goal, the impacts
of climate change should be considered.



1 04
Adaptation
3 06 Community Preparedness

Quick Start Actions
1. Assess the public health impacts of climate change on residents including
the disproportionate impacts on the most vulnerable residents and make
support of vulnerable populations a priority in climate adaptation planning
and strategy implementation.
2. Continue to assess climate change impacts and factor projections into
City emergency preparedness planning, including future updates to the
Seattle Disaster Readiness and Response Plan.
3. Consider the impacts of climate change on access to healthy, affordable
food in future updates to the Seattle Food Action Plan.

The Seattle Community Farm, a project of Lettuce Link, a program of Solid Ground, educates, inspires, and increases food security
for residents of Southeast Seattle. In September of 2012 the farm had harvested over 6,000 pounds of organic produce, all of
which went to the Rainier Valley Food Bank and residents of the Rainier Vista community and wider Rainier Valley neighborhood.
(Photo: John Bolivar Photography, used by permission of Solid Ground)



01 04 01 04
Sector02 05 02
Recommendations 05
Adaptation
N
GUIDING PRINCIPLES 03 06 03 06
1. Maximize Co-Benefits. Pursue no/low regrets and “win-win” strategies that address current
issues in addition to anticipated climate change impacts.

2. Use Best Available Science. Ground the City’s adaptation planning in best-available
scientific understanding of climate change risks, impacts, vulnerabilities, and adaptation
strategies to help ensure that adaptation efforts are effective; build in flexibility to
accommodate evolving scientific understanding of climate impacts.

3. Adaptation Should Be Equitable. Proactively address disproportionate climate impacts on
disadvantaged populations and do not take actions that compromise the ability of future
generations to adapt to a changing climate.

4. Mainstream Adaptation. Integrate climate adaptation into existing and future City policies,
planning, practices, and programs.

5. Start with Existing Climate-Related Risks. Climate change is projected to exacerbate
many of the existing stresses associated with present-day climate variability and extremes.
Strategies that reduce these present-day risks provide a good starting point for reducing
long-term climate change risks and maximizing opportunities.

6. Incorporate Flexibility. Adaptation policies and infrastructure design should be flexible
and incorporate adaptive management strategies so they can be adjusted in response to
updated projections, changing risks, and other needs.

7. Increase Technical Capacity. Increase the City’s technical capacity for adapting to climate
change by promoting access to training, decision support tools, and expertise that help
staff better understand climate, climate impacts, risks, and adaptation.



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