CAF14-125

How Local Food System Planning Can Create More Resilient Communities

Speakers: Gail Feenstra, Deputy Director, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, UC Davis; Timothy Griffin, Alliance Program Manager, Ag Innovations Network; Eric Holt-Giménez, Ph.D., Executive Director, Food First, Institute for Food and Development Policy; Ricardo Salvador, Ph.D., Director and Senior Scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists; MODERATOR: Sigrid Wright, Assistant Director, Community Environmental Council

In parts of California, food banks are reporting a 75% drop in donated fruits and vegetables due to the drought – confirming that our most vulnerable populations are on the front lines of climate change. We’ll look at how some communities are engaging emergency food providers – as well as churches, farmers, NGOs, schools, political officials and local governments – in large-scale efforts to design healthier, more vibrant food systems that build community resilience. Many early-adopter cities and counties have completed and are implementing “food action plans” or “food system assessments,” providing an emerging body of case studies and tools. We explore examples from major urban areas (Oakland and Los Angeles) and urban/rural areas (Sonoma, Fresno and San Luis Obispo). We also explore how some Food Policy Councils are being coordinated out of mayor’s offices, planning departments or public health departments, and how their work can support climate action plans or other planning efforts.

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

CAF14-110

Plenary: Changing the Business Climate for Climate Change

Speakers: Christopher Benjamin, Director, Corporate Sustainability, Pacific Gas & Electric Company; Kathy Gerwig, Vice President, Employee Safety, Health and Wellness, and Environmental Stewardship Officer, Kaiser-Permanente; Stephanie Rico, Vice President, Environmental Affairs, Wells Fargo, Government and Community Relations; MODERATOR: Joel Makower, Chairman and Executive Editor, GreenBiz Group, Inc.

The American economy is going to face significant and widespread disruptions from climate change unless U.S. businesses and policymakers take immediate action to reduce climate risk, according to the recent report, “Risky Business: The Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States.” Hear a distinguished panel of California business leaders for an engaging and illuminating discussion on how companies are addressing increasing their resiliency in the face of climate change. The panelists discuss actions they are taking to adapt their business practices to the unfolding economic and social realities of climate change. They share their unique perspectives about the critical need for businesses to engage in adaptation efforts, and the costs, benefits and economic risks we face in meeting these global challenges.

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

CAF14-201

Brainstorming Ways to Incorporate Health Equity Concerns into an Ever-Changing World

Speakers: Linda Rudolph, MD, MPH, Co-Director, Center for Climate Change and Health, Public Health Institute; Alyssa Newton Mann, Regional Research and Planning Program, University of Southern California, Sea Grant Program; Christopher Read, Sustainability Planner, Pacific Municipal Consultants; Catalina Garzon, Program Director, Community Strategies for Sustainability and Justice Program, Pacific Institute; MODERATOR: Sandi Gálvez, Executive Director, Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative

Climate change impacts health in many ways, and these impacts disproportionately affect vulnerable individuals and disadvantaged communities. This session explores the relationship between climate change and vulnerable populations, and outline three changes that can disproportionately impact vulnerable population. These changes are (1) the impacts on coastal issues and watershed management caused by stresses on water quality and water availability, and sea level rise; (2) the aging of the American population – between 2000 and 2050, persons 65 or older are expected to grow from 12% to 20% of the US population and the percentage of extremely old (85+) Americans is expected to triple; and (3) the increase in exposure to air pollution associated with transportation corridors as a result of the push towards urban infill as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

CAF14-202

Continuing the Momentum of the Task Force: Federal Support of Adaptation

Speakers: Juliette Hayes, Acting Branch Chief, Hazard Mitigation Assistance Branch, FEMA Region IX; Katherine Buckingham, Resilience Program Analyst, US HUD, Office of Economic Resilience; Gina Campoli, Environmental Policy Manager, Vermont Agency of Transportation; Stephanie Bertaina, Senior Policy Analyst, US Environmental Protection Agency; Hon. Alice Hill, Senior Advisor for Preparedness and Resilience, White House’s National Security Staff; MODERATOR: Jessica Grannis, Adaptation Program Manager, Georgetown Climate Center

This session addresses the President’s Climate Preparedness Task Force and opportunities for removing federal barriers and using federal programs to better support state and local adaptation. We discuss the key federal programs that have been used to support adaptation in the past, and identify opportunities for improving federal support for state and local efforts. Participants engage in a dialogue with a task force member and White House and federal agency staff to discuss outcomes and next steps for the Climate Preparedness Task Force to answer the question: How do we build upon the task force’s momentum and move recommendations into action?

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

CAF14-114

A Compass for Changing Times: Key Dimensions of Adaptation Success

Speakers: Jason Vogel, Managing Analyst, Stratus Consulting; Susanne Moser, Ph.D., Director and Principal Researcher of Susanne Moser Research & Consulting; Social Science Research Fellow, Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University; Linda Gianelli Pratt, Chief Program Manager, Sustainable Community Program, City of San Diego; Ellie Cohen, President and CEO, Point Blue Conservation Science; MODERATOR: Amber Pairis, Ph.D., Senior Environmental Scientist, California Department of Fish and Wildlife

What would successful adaptation to climate change look like? This question has no simple answer. Despite high-level commitments to prepare for and manage the impacts of climate change, it remains difficult to move beyond adaptation planning and in fact decide on a particular course of action, to garner the necessary political and social support in budget-constrained times, and to implement concrete adaptation measures. At the same time, many sectors and communities already face difficult choices and trade-offs as climate change impacts unfold with growing speed and fury and as adopting either more stringent or novel strategies to strengthen and retain resilience produces winners and losers. This session provides a framework for thinking about adaptation success and then invites panelists from various climate-sensitive sectors, different parts of the state, levels of government and perspectives to discuss how they do or don’t address the question of success and how to measure it.

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

Subtotal

$50.00