In May 2017, the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) released for public review and comment a draft of Safeguarding California: 2017 Update (Draft Update), which seeks to “…build on nearly a decade of adaptation strategies … to communicate current and needed actions state government should take to build climate change resiliency.”
In accordance with Executive Order S-13-08, the CNRA is, and has been, the lead agency tasked with developing the state’s comprehensive climate adaptation strategy known as Safeguarding California.
The Draft Update is the most current version of comprehensive strategies that the CNRA has prepared since 2008. The previous versions, in order, are: the 2009 California Adaptation Strategy; the 2014 Safeguarding California: Reducing Climate Risk; and the 2016 Safeguarding California: Implementation Action Plans.
The Draft Update is organized into three general areas—State Policies and Programs; Local and Regional Action and Projects; and Research and Tool Development.
When reviewing the Draft Update, avid readers of the Climate Change Law & Policy Reporter may recognize numerous issues and topics that are regularly discussed in the Reporter. Therefore, it is recommended that those readers take a moment to read the Draft Update, as it is a comprehensive guide that links together all of the laws, regulatory programs, initiatives, and trends that climate change practitioners deal with on a daily basis.
The Draft Safeguarding California: 2017 Update is accessible online at: http://resources.ca.gov/climate/safeguarding/
(Martin P. Stratte)
