gmh attempts to liveblog the southeast florida climate resilience summit
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all the mayors
all of them
(counties only)
* goals -> nitty-gritty
* niche -> mainstream
* business community on board
120 miles long
islands islands islands
tiny amounts of non flood zones...otherwise the whole place IS a flood zone
"buying the future" - huge financial costs to bear
(lol extreme mode mini metro)
place infrastructure on island that's expected to be gone???
elevate roads - but it also becomes wider
and whre's the road runoff gonna go?
about 10% population displacement
PBC: statewide climate compact pls, more effort at state/federal levels pls
Broward: ask ACOE for emeegency prep study, PACE, EV charging stations, auditing co. buildimgs
MDC: jobs, and the right jobs
Monroe: economy and finance is everything. reconstruct affordable workforce housing (lol at housing prices in general...)
yes, that's where Seattle is
small/medium cities benefit from technica, expwrtise pooling
CC is env +econ + transport
transit oriented developme nt
managed growth: 90% in designated zones
New Orleans first
i might post a ittle less often bc it's getting a little busy to type this up and take notes
Coastal Restoration Plan (50B$, have about 15B)
Urban Water Plan (addressing subsidence and stormwater)
middle skill jobs in this project
not just levees, also muchmore jnfo
focus on jobs
goals: CC mitigation and equity
warned by Hurricanw Sandy
2015 climate mitigation/preparedness commitment
different size cities to align/share local practices
protecting dams
utilities not being transparent with usage data:woking on it, but in meantime, Local Energy Action Dashboard
MA is #1 in ...(?)
2008 Global Warming Solutions Act
Renewable Portfolio Standards
resilient includes neighborhood prep, building prep, infrastructure prep, and coastal defense
Sandy was a lesson
dense urban development on LOTS of coastline (more than Miami!)
need to buikd back better
build knowledge base @ local level
* downscaled CC/SLR data
* Climate Collaboration a collab of collabs
* funding from cap and trade funds )recent law: can spend on adaptation, not just mitigation)
cool roofs
cool streets
experimentation!
L.A. mauor sets urban heat island target -- may be able to make ciry cooler despite CC
using gas tax for climate resilience
* engage press
* checking in om at risk folks
* what to do about dirtier fuels used at peak energy demand?
* reflective roofs also help keep houses cool
* the bigger risk is people overheating at home, not pvercrowding beaches
CalEnviroScreen - a tool looling at pollution + social determinants of health
equity: addressing most vulnerable populations first (e.g. affordable/public housing)
difficulties in getting businwss community on board on some topics?
* frame as econ issue first, to motivate involvement
south florida - canals and waterfront
flooding, incl sunny day flooding
1 in 8 houses in FL expected lost due to CC in next 80 yrs
2016 bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, 62 members now
* drought and rainfall events
* protect community, government, servicea, and facilities
* needs varied b/w localities
* created Office of Resilience; incl. a position directly addrwssing Climate Change
* SolSmart advisor - solar power permitting/inspections
* PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) program
* comprehensive plan policies
* resilience and sustainability ppm(?)
* energy efficiency
* water resources diversification
* traffic signal (smoothing?)
* Living Shorelines
* retrofitting sports field lighting
* hybrid buses
* updated flood maps, CRS, etc.
* adaptation - stormwater retrofittinG
* mitigation
Monroe Co.
* 150 mi (of 300 mi total) of county roads + parts of US1 (state maintained) all sussceptible to SLR
* can't elevate roads like Miami can
1. address road flooding impacts
2. devslop cost estjmates
3. develop standard method to evaluate impacts
4. create policies for road improvements
building/elevating roads: strong base that can withstand some seawater inundation + build on top
elevating a road:
* widens it, causing right of way problems. especially when ppl are already parking their cars there
* by law, if have stormwater system, must capture and treat runoff -> pump stations on private prp[erties
* costly!
* solution: partial elevation solution as funds allow, worm with state/national partners for funding
Broward Co.
* PACE program: fpcus on existing building stock
* wide adoption -> translate to jobs
resilience standards
* groundwater rising -> drainage infrastructure, wells
* * wet season groundwater table map
* coastal flood barriers - need coordination b/w cities
* community flood maps -nstay ahead of FEMA maps, not used for insurance rates but used for siting/preparing facilities
* already built out, and SL has risen in the meantime
MDC
* resilient305 - 4 shocks, 4 stresses
* building efficiency 305 - for nldgs > 28000 ft^2
* rapid action plan - started by water/sewer dept
(i got gradually sleepier through this panel)
Oct 2 2017 king tide - 3 ft flooding in Hollywood Lakes
red zones - retreat suggested, by buyimg out property - "anathema" b/c discourages combating SLR/CC
"hot spots" of constant continuing flooding
Liberty City (and other low income areas of MDC)
make jt appeal to emotions
but, limited pool of worry
voting for leadership + personal/local management
Solar Law - mandating solar power on new constructions - now in South Miami
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Moody's will begin accounting for climate risk in municipal bond ratings.
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Risk Management
* some irrelevant storytelling: 1960s-1970s, not really studying CC yet, except a few scattered scientists, who didn't use that name but used "greenhouse effect" and "global warming". no such thing as a "risk manager". 1965 President's Science Advisory Panel - GH warming was a real concern but is not controllable. 1970s: workshop @ MIT, conference in Stockholm, press releases, and weather disruptions -> the issue got onto Congress's radar in the 1970s. 1976: joint congressional hearings on GW.
* healthcare sector:
* * there are shocks and stressors. the trauma team is there to deal with shocks, but that doesn't absolve the stressors.
* * they have quarterly drills with agencies, monthly system tests, and other such readiness procedures
* * infrastructure is built to be extremely resilient: power generation, food, water, sleeping area for important employees, etc. for 96 hours, by code. (which is actually not a very long time). hospital bldgs must withstand 140 mph winds, missile impacts, flooding impacts. has internal comm systems. data warehouses outside Florida. IP phones.
* business real estate sector: companies prefer leasing from environmentally friendly and resilient buildings -- green buildings are fundamentally preferable. saves on various costs
* hospitality sector: 4 hotels in Miami are still closed due to Irene
* 2 types of flooding: tidal, and storm surge
* * tidal flooding can be prevented with proactive work: reinforcing/raising sea walls, raising roads, raising bldg fronts, pumping stations, sandbagging
* road system resiliency and fuel resources
* FEMA pre-stages near expected disaster zones - possible for predictable disasters like hurricanes
* people are very reliant on cell phones, which has upsides and downsides
* being proactive means reducing the amount of GHGs in the atmosphere!
* 43.4B$ visitor spending supporting 385,500 jobs. 48% of 15,496,000 visitors visit Miami Beach, supporting 185 hotels.
lessons from Irma
* Need people to operate shelters. Simply opening up a shelter isn't enough.
* pay attention to special needs residents e.g. nursing homes (highlighted by that one infamous incident where several nursing home residents died from overheating)
* hospitals: "sleepover" employees also need post-storm recovery
* communication: is radio a good option for local communication? there's also been a cell phone app for this
* don't underestimate the risk
* strategic response for customers: what to do when guests insist on coming even despite knowing the storm is also coming?
* green lodging
two more panels to go
* Florida current legislative session: SB 542 - long range planning, best practices regarding SLR
* bill on selling solar power to tenants
* money, technology (?)
* thermochromic windows - change color when the sun gets bright
* solar windows - windows containing solar panels
* PACE work
* energy disclosure laws
* electrification of transportation
* * by 2020, estimated 65 EV models
* * VW expects 300 EV models by 2030
* * Daimler has plans for Alabama plant making electric SUV
* * China: 500,000 EVs sold in 2016
* * zero-emission vehicle requirements in California
* * California requires wiring for electric vehicles in new buildings
* * California has faster permitting for installing EV chargers
* solar power: FL on track to get 5 gigawatts (GW) by 2022
* but only 15000 net-metered systems
* in Florida, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems need to be a bit stronger than elsewhere, to withstand hurricanes
* current solar PV prices in FL: $3 to $3.20 per Watt
* 30% tax credit (used to be limited, now unlimited): now about $2 per W
=> MUCH FASTER return on investment (taking months rather than years to break even, depending on specifics)
=> immediate savings possible due to lower electric bill
* the panel is only about 0.5 to 1 $ of the cost per Watt, and installation has gotten cheaper too
* costs typically 20% panels, 80% other
* legislation has yet to catch up to tech and economics -- still can't just put up solar panels(?)
* FPL (local electric utility) customers have been paying an advance fee related to the Turkey Point nuclear reactor -- Public Service Commission recently stopped this fee
* 75% of Florida is served by investor-owned utilities
* they are guaranteed a rate of return for capital expenditures, such as building new power plants, rather than for making people use electricity more wisely. so they are de facto incentivized to build more plants, rather than to encourage efficiency.
* distributed vs centralized renewables:
* * distributed: reduce line losses, democratization of energy generation/use, faster uptime? (not necessarily)
* * centralized: lower costs due to economies of scale, fits current model (no retrofitting needed), greater reliability?
* Electrify America: an organization created in the wake of the VW diesel emissions cheating scandal settlement
* * settlement includes fines/penalty + buyback of affected vehicles
* * Appendix D: environmental mitigation
* * Appendix C: led to creation of Electrify America, charged with creating a sustainable business model for implementing EV charging
* Americans largely not familiar with EVs
* newest charging tech: 350 kW power charger, provides very fast charging
* want to build a highway network, with charging stations ~ 70 miles apart (max 120 miles)
* "community depots" idea (?)
* charging stations to be implemented at retail, workplaces, multi-unit dwellings
* "baseload" = the basic power generation needed at most times of day. baseload is handled partly by nuclear in FL. excesses in semi-peak times are handled by burning natural gas. further excess demand is handled by burning diesel, which is really dirty and inefficient.
* battery technology is very important to solar because it isn't always available
* "20%" = if more than this proportion of power is generated by solar, you'll need batteries.
* battery costs: 10 years ago, 10 cents per kWh. compare generation and transmission: 6 cents per kWh (each? not sure). now 3-4 cents per kWh in Li-ion batteries. expected future, soon: 1 cent per kWh. at this cost, solar power can itself become baseload.
* need to educate government, banking ,consumers, etc. about this stuff.
* policy design: need ballot initiatives that are self-implementing. Don't kick it to the legislature and give them the chance to screw up or drag the implementation.
* need 'transformative' ballot initiatives
* California has "utility decoupling" - no profit on generating more power. utilities are paid operating costs, separating rates from profits.
one more panel