Issue 503 to

Climate Change Hits Home

Adaptation strategies for the San Francisco Bay Area

SPUR Report

We have known about the perils of climate change for more than two decades. But global efforts to slow it down by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions have largely failed. Even if we could stop producing greenhouse gases tomorrow, the high concentration of carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere will cause the climate to continue to change. As a result we must not only intensify our efforts to reduce climate change but start preparing for its inevitable effects.

In this report, SPUR addresses how we should adapt to climate change in the Bay Area, including which tools and strategies will make us resilient to its most severe impacts, including drought, higher temperatures and sea level rise. We recommend more than 30 strategies for local and regional agencies to begin minimizing the region’s vulnerabilities to these long-term but potentially catastrophic effects.

The SPUR Board of Directors reviewed, debated and adopted this report as official policy on February 16, 2011.

Climate Change Hits Home was made possible by the generous support of the San Francisco Foundation, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, and a Community Action Grant from the Urban Land Institute.

SPUR staff: Laura Tam

SPUR interns: Timothea Tway, Elizabeth Antin

SPUR blue ribbon task force: Andy Barnes, David Behar, Brad Benson, Claire Bonham-Carter, Xantha Bruso, Peter Drekmeier, Ted Droettboom, Steve Goldbeck, Noah Goldstein, Amy Hutzel, Michelle Jesperson, Laurie Johnson, Doug Kimsey, Ken Kirkey, David Lewis, Jacinta McCann, Paul Okamoto, Emily Pimentel, Julian Potter, Bruce Riordan, Rebecca Rosen, Miriam Rotkin-Ellman, Bry Sarte, Will Travis, Margaret Williams, Abby Young


Read SPUR's previous work on climate change adaptation >>