Climate Change Law and Policy Project
Produced by Prof. Edward Richards, Visit the project’s website
FEMA – Disaster Operations Legal Reference Manuals
Version 3.0
The Third Edition of the Disaster Operations Legal Reference (DOLR 3.0) describes the legal authorities for FEMA’s readiness, response, and recovery activities. It supersedes DOLR 2.0, issued in June 2013. Because this reference is not exhaustive, the legal authorities are subject to modification and change, and the specific facts surrounding an issue may change the legal analysis, use of the information contained here should be verified with the FEMA Office of Chief Counsel before becoming the basis for a final decision by the Agency.
FEMA – Disaster Operations Legal Reference Manual – Version 3.0 (2017)
Version 2.0
The Second Edition of the Disaster Operations Legal Reference (DOLR 2.0) describes the legal authorities for FEMA’s readiness, response, and recovery activities. It supersedes DOLR 1.0 issued in November 2011. Because this reference is not exhaustive, the legal authorities are subject to modification and change, and the specific facts surrounding an issue may change the legal analysis, use of the information contained here should be verified with the FEMA Office of Chief Counsel before becoming the basis for a final decision by the Agency.
California – Climate Change and Sea Level Assessment
This updated document, the “State of California Sea-Level Rise Guidance” (Guidance), provides a bold, science-based methodology for state and local governments to analyze and assess the risks associated with sea-level rise, and to incorporate sea-level rise into their planning, permitting, and investment decisions. This Guidance provides:
1. A synthesis of the best available science on sea-level rise projections and rates for California;
2. A step-by-step approach for state agencies and local governments to evaluate those projections and related hazard information in decision making; and
3. Preferred coastal adaptation approaches
California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment – Statewide Summary (2018)
The Statewide Summary Report presents an overview of the main findings from California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment, to translate the state of climate science into useful information for action. This report presents findings in the context of existing climate science, including strategies to adapt to climate impacts and key research gaps needed to spur additional progress on safeguarding California from climate change.
WWW site – http://www.climateassessment.ca.gov/
California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment provides information to build resilience to climate impacts, including temperature, wildfire, water, sea level rise, and governance. Here you can view a snapshot of the key findings of the Fourth Assessment. For additional information, please download the Key Findings brochure.
ASSESSING AND COMMUNICATING THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST (2018)
Over the course of this and the next century, the combination of rising sea levels, severe storms, and coastal erosion will threaten the sustainability of coastal communities, development, and ecosystems as we currently know them. To clearly identify coastal vulnerabilities and develop appropriate adaptation strategies for projected increased levels of coastal flooding and erosion, coastal managers need user-friendly planning tools based on the best available climate and coastal science. In anticipation of these climate change impacts, many communities are in the early stages of climate change adaptation planning but lack the scientific information and tools to adequately address the potential impacts. In collaboration with leading scientists worldwide, the USGS designed the Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) to assess the coastal impacts of climate change for the California coast, including the combination of sea level rise, storms, and coastal change. In this project, we directly address the needs of coastal resource managers in Southern California by integrating a vast range of global climate change projections and translate that information using sophisticated physical process models into planning-scale physical, ecological, and economic exposure, shoreline change, and impact assessments, all delivered in two simple, user-friendly, online tools. Our results show that by the end of the 21st century, over 250,000 residents and nearly $40 billion in building value across Southern California could be exposed to coastal flooding from storms, sea level rise, and coastal change. Results for the other major population center in California (the greater San Francisco Bay Area) are also available but not explicitly discussed in this report. Together, CoSMoS has now assessed the exposure of 95% of the 26 million coastal residents of the State (17 million in Southern California).
Blue Carbon in Louisiana
The Paris Climate Change Agreement
The Paris Agreement – Full Text
The Paris climate agreement is at risk of falling apart in the 2020s
Season 3, Episode 2: Will We Always Have Paris? Can the World’s Climate Agreement Survive the 2020s?
Paris Mismatches: The Impact of the COP21 Climate Change Negotiations on the Oil and Gas Industries
President Trump’s Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement Raises Legal Questions: Part 1 & 2. CRS (2017)
Data Driven Yale, NewClimate Institute, PBL 2018: Global climate action of regions, states and businesses. Research report published by Data Driven Yale, NewClimate Institute (2018)
Subnational climate change mitigation efforts will not offset the US withdrawing from the Paris Agreement.
FISCAL MONITOR: How to Mitigate Climate Change, IMF (2019)
FISCAL MONITOR: How to Mitigate Climate Change, IMF (2019)
The projections included in this issue of the Fiscal Monitor are drawn from the same database used for the October 2019 World Economic Outlook and Global Financial Stability Report (and are referred to as “IMF staff projections”). Fiscal projections refer to the general government, unless otherwise indicated. Short-term projections are based on officially announced budgets, adjusted for differences between the national authorities and the IMF staff regarding macroeconomic assumptions. The medium-term fiscal projections incorporate policy measures that are judged by the IMF staff as likely to be implemented. For countries supported by an IMF arrangement, the medium-term projections are those under the arrangement. In cases in which the IMF staff has insufficient information to assess the authorities’ budget intentions and prospects for policy implementation, an unchanged cyclically adjusted primary balance is assumed, unless indicated otherwise. Details on the composition of the groups, as well as country-specific assumptions, can be found in the Methodological and Statistical Appendix
Federal Disaster Insurance – Senate Report – 1956
Federal Disaster Insurance, Report of the Committee on Banking and Currency, United States Senate (January, 9 1956) – large file
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
UNITED STATES SENATE,
COMMITTEE ON BANKING AND CURRENCY,
November 30, 1955.
Hon. J. W. FULBRIGHT,
Chairman, Committee on Banking and Currency,
United States Senate, Washington, D. C.
DEAR SENATOR FULBRIGHT:
At your direction, the staff has prepared background materials relating to consideration of a Federal disaster insurance program. Except for certain deletions and rearrangements, this compilation was made available to all members of the committee, in substantially its present form, at the beginning of the hearings on October 31, 1955. Since the study was intended to lay the groundwork for the initial phases of the committee’s inquiry, it does not generally include information developed during the hearings. Such data will be taken into account in future committee reports. Limitation of time has restricted the amount of detailed data included and has precluded a more complete analysis of the materials. While the scope of the study includes all natural and manmade disasters, emphasis has been placed on those for which insurance is not readily available (such as floods) and for which information was obtainable in a short period of time from public and private sources. From this committee’s own files came much of the material dealing with the problems of war damage–the result of considerable renewed attention given to this phase of the problem since 1950. The committee staff received fine cooperation from the Federal agencies, private organizations, and individuals that were requested to supply data. The materials included in this study were compiled and prepared by Mr. William F. McKenna, counsel of the committee. Mr. Donald L. Rogers, also counsel of the committee, prepared the chapter on natural disaster relief. The staff wishes gratefully to acknowledge the contributions of the various Government agencies, private organizations and individuals listed at the end of the study.
ROBERT A. WALLACE, Staff Director.
Geoengineering Resources
Hurricanes Affecting the Coast of Texas from Galveston to Rio Grande – 1956
Waves and high waters accompanying storms of hurricane intensity have periodically wreaked havoc along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the United States. Adequate, and economic, design of shore structures to prevent or mitigate this damage requires historical knowledge of past storms. This knowledge, although previously available, is scattered among many sources — requiring. therefore, a considerable amount of time to gather for use for any particular area. The present report represents a collection of available data on hurricanes reaching and passing inland over the Texas coast between Galveston and the Rio Grande, and certain conclusions as to frequency of occurrence derived therefrom.
This report was prepared by Dr. W. Armstrong Price, formerly Professor of Geological Oceanography at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, and now a Consulting Geologist in Corpus Christi, Texas. The initial statistical studies were made by Dr. Price in connection with his consulting work for several oil companies; these were later revised, extended, and submitted to the Board for publication. The report is being published at this time in connection with the recently expanded responsibilities of the Corps of Engineers in hurricane damage prevention as outlined in Public Law 71 of the 84th Congress.
Strategies to Address Climate Change Risk in Low- and Moderate-income Communities – San Francisco Fed
This issue of the Community Development Innovation Review offers strategies that address climate change risk in low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities. As these communities begin to grapple with a changing environment, strategic investments can increase resiliency and support adaptation while simultaneously advancing community development priorities. The articles in this issue of the Review consider these investment opportunities from a diverse set of community, financial, economic, and academic perspectives.
Surging Waters: Science Empowering Communities in the Face of Flooding
Surging Waters: Science Empowering Communities in the Face of Flooding is a report produced by AGU, a global not-for-profit scientific society dedicated to advancing the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity. The report is reviewed by leading experts in these fields.
Surging Waters: Science Empowering Communities in the Face of Flooding – the report
NRDC – Going Under: Long Wait Times for Post-Flood Buyouts Leave Homeowners Underwater
NRDC, Going Under: Long Wait Times for Post-Flood Buyouts Leave Homeowners Underwater (2019) (Original LInk)
Sea level rise and increased flooding are already affecting homes and communities across the United States. The hard truth is that these climate change impacts will make it increasingly difficult for people to stay in the places where they live today. Among the millions who could be displaced in the coming decades, many will need assistance to move to higher ground. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has funded thousands of voluntary buyouts, in which local or state governments purchase flood-damaged properties from willing sellers at pre-flood values and preserve the land as open space. However, FEMA’s current buyout programs already struggle to meet existing need, with years-long wait times that can make this option difficult to pursue and contribute to inequities in disaster recovery.
NRDC reviewed nearly 30 years of FEMA data on buyout funding and found that it takes a median of more than 5 years between a flood and the completion of a FEMA-funded buyout project. While every buyout project is different, one thing is clear: long wait times make buyouts less accessible, less equitable, and less effective for disaster mitigation and climate adaptation. Addressing this issue is essential to making FEMA-funded buyouts a more viable option as climate change increases flooding throughout the United States. This report describes approaches for improving the current system, as well as new buyout models that NRDC believes are worth exploring by FEMA, other federal agencies, and state and local governments.
