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04/22/2013 Appendix B. Adaptation Planning for Ciimate Impacts Effective adaptation planning and management entails dealing with uncertainty. It is a long-term process that should allow immediate action when necessary and adjust to changing conditions and new knowledge. Redwood City plans to initiate an inclusive planning process that ensures the resulting actions are feasible and widely accepted. Adaptation will likely be an ongoing process of planning, prioritization and specific project implementation. Five important steps to effective adaptation planning are summarized below: 1. Increase Public Awareness; Engage and Educate the Community It is critical that the public understand the magnitude of the challenge and why action is needed. The planning process should be inclusive of all stakeholders. Local outreach campaigns are needed to promote awareness of the dangers of heat exposure and recommend low-cost and low-GHG adaptation strategies. These efforts should leverage similar efforts undertaken at the regional, state, and federal levels. 2. Assess Vulnerability Understanding vulnerability to sea level rise and other climate change impacts is critical to developing adaptation effective strategies. A detailed vulnerability analysis should be performed to assess potential climate change impacts to infrastructure and natural systems. Future vulnerability of assets and infrastructure can then be assessed using conceptual models of shore response to sea level rise. Shore response models can be applied for one or more climate change scenarios and planning horizons, and a strategy for adapting can be developed with due consideration to priorities and time frames. Both short-term and long-term adaptation strategies should be identified. Level of risk can be categorized in terms of likelihood of damage within the forecasting period and the severity of the damages. This allows planners to prioritize their response to sea level rise. The vulnerability assessment can also provide a framework for agency and community education and participation, feed into other planning documents, and identify funding needs. 3. Establish Goals, Criteria and Planning Principles Engage with stakeholders to establish planning priorities, determine decision criteria, and build community support for taking action. Rank physical and natural assets for preservation efforts. Where possible, look for situations where a mitigation action has adaptation co-benefits (e.g., planting trees to reduce urban heat islands while sequestering carbon and providing habitat). 4. Develop Adaptation Plan 2s RESO.#15258 MUFF#205