18 September 2018
Pacific Coast Collaborative Launches Climate Resilience Effort
Photo by IISD | Lynn Wagner
story highlights

Pacific Coast Collaborative members will identify successful programmes and approaches to enhance resilience outcomes and opportunities for regional collaboration on a range of issues.

The Pacific Coast Collaborative recognizes that updating, improving and climate-proofing the Pacific Coast’s infrastructure offers significant opportunities for investment and innovative partnerships.

Washington Governor Inslee said the region is creating a blueprint for other regions by building an innovative economy that combats climate change, embraces a zero-emission future and creates great places to live.

14 September 2018: California Governor Jerry Brown and Washington Governor Jay Inslee have announced a new effort to strengthen climate resilience, on behalf of the Pacific Coast Collaborative (PCC). The new effort, detailed in a ‘Declaration on Climate Resilience,’ will facilitate cross-jurisdiction learning and collaboration on climate resilience for local communities and infrastructure.

The announcement was made during the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS), which convened from 12-14 September 2018 in San Francisco, US.

PCC members will identify successful programmes and approaches to enhance resilience outcomes and opportunities for regional collaboration on such issues as: mobilization of public and private resources to increase community-level climate resilience; integration of climate resilience into jurisdiction-level policies; and infrastructure finance.

The Pacific Coast, with a common geography and shared infrastructure, has an economy with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of US$3 trillion and a population of 55 million. PCC partners are coastal jurisdictions that must develop resilience planning agendas and utilize approaches and infrastructure that safeguard vulnerable communities and those exposed to sea level rise and other climate impacts. The PCC recognizes that updating, improving and climate-proofing the Pacific Coast’s infrastructure offers significant opportunities for investment and innovative partnerships.

The Pacific Coast, with a common geography and shared infrastructure, has an economy with a combined GDP of US$3 trillion and a population of 55 million.

Speaking during the announcement, Governor Inslee said the region, which represents the world’s fifth largest economy, is creating a blueprint for other regions by building an innovative economy that combats climate change, embraces a zero-emission future and creates great places to live.

The Declaration on Climate Resilience underscores agreement to undertake coordinated knowledge exchange, strategic planning and collaborative implementation efforts that identify and build on activities across the region and its cities. It also emphasizes regional priorities, such as:

  • natural disaster preparedness and response coordination;
  • fire prevention and management strategies;
  • coastal adaptation measures;
  • water management and drought preparedness strategies;
  • enhancing the resilience of natural and working lands; and
  • the development of reliable, resilient and affordable energy and transportation systems and infrastructure in the context of climate change.

The PCC aims to reduce emissions and create a low-carbon regional economy by transforming energy systems, buildings, transportation and food waste management. PCC leaders are working on such transboundary issues as integrating the region’s power grid, combating ocean acidification and building an interstate electric vehicle charging network. The PCC includes the province of British Columbia (Canada), the states of Washington, Oregon and California (US), and the cities of Vancouver (Canada), and Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles (US). [GCAS Press Release on Declaration] [PCC Website]


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