A Timeline of California’s Climate Adaptation Policy - California Climate Adaptation Strategy

2005

First Climate Change Assessment: California’s climate change assessments deliver best available science to understand how climate change is projected to impact California in the future. California’s first assessment confirmed that lower GHG emissions could significantly reduce climate change impacts on our state. This seminal assessment contributed to the passage of the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB-32) later that year.

2008

Executive Order S-13-08: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued the state’s first executive order on climate change adaptation, directing the Natural Resources Agency to produce a state climate adaptation strategy and called for state agencies to address sea-level rise.

2009

Indicators of Climate Change in California: The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, which researches and presents indicators that describe how California’s climate is changing and how these changes are affecting the state, released its first report.
Second Climate Change Assessment: The second assessment explored the economic impacts of climate change. Findings contributed to California’s statutory commitment to produce an updated statewide adaptation strategy every three years.
First California Climate Adaptation Strategy: The Natural Resources Agency coordinated the state’s first adaptation strategy, which identified 345 goals across seven sectors for state agencies to improve the state’s resilience to climate change.

2010

State of California Sea-Level Rise Guidance: The Ocean Protection Council released guidance to help state agencies incorporate sea-level rise impacts into their planning, permitting, and investment decisions.

2011

Cal-Adapt: The California Energy Commission debuted the Cal-Adapt.org platform to provide a view of how climate change might affect California and connect Californians with tools, data, and resources to inform their climate adaptation actions. Cal-Adapt provides access to the state’s downscaled climate projection data that serve as the foundation to the CA Climate Change Assessments.

2012

First California Adaptation Planning Guide: The Natural Resources Agency and Emergency Management Agency published guidance on creating climate vulnerability assessments and adaptation strategies for local decision makers.
Third Climate Change Assessment: The third assessment increased understanding of climate vulnerabilities in natural and human systems and supported passage of new climate adaptation laws.

2013

Indicators of Climate Change in California: The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment presented 36 indicators tracking trends in atmospheric gases that influence climate, changes in the state's climate, and the impacts of climate change on California's environment and people.
Preparing California for Extreme Heat: This report, coordinated by the CA Environmental Protection Agency and the CA Department of Public Health, in coordination with the interagency Climate Action Team, provided recommendations to state agencies for addressing extreme heat in California.

2014

Second California Climate Adaptation Strategy: This strategy was designed to provide policy guidance for state decision-makers. It was organized around nine sectors, and identified hundreds of current and needed state agency actions.

2015

Climate Change Research Plan: The research plan outlined a comprehensive, cross-sector set of climate research priorities in California. This effort resulted in the first comprehensive climate change research plan developed by any state.
California Coastal Commission Sea-Level Rise Policy Guidance: The Coastal Commission guidance provided an overview of the best available science on sea-level rise for California and recommended methodology for addressing sea-level rise in Coastal Commission planning and regulatory actions.
Executive Order B-30-15: The order highlighted the need for climate adaptation action, and directed state government to: (a) incorporate climate change impacts into the state’s Five-Year Infrastructure Plan; (b) update the state climate adaption strategy to identify how climate change will affect California infrastructure and industry and what actions the state can take to reduce the risks posed by climate change; (c) factor climate change into state agencies’ planning and investment decisions; and (d) implement measures under existing agency and departmental authority to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
SB 246 (Wieckowski): SB 246 established the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP) at the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research to coordinate local and regional efforts with state climate adaptation strategies. ICARP convenes a Technical Advisory Committee to advance climate adaptation coordination. ICARP also maintains the Adaptation Clearinghouse, California’s one-stop-shop for resources to support local, regional, and statewide climate adaptation efforts.
SB 379 (Jackson): SB 379 requires local jurisdictions to include climate adaptation and resilience strategies in the safety elements of their general plans.
AB 1482 (Gordon): AB 1482 requires California to release a State Climate Adaptation Strategy every three years.

2016

AB 2800 (Quirk): AB 2800 requires all state agencies to consider current and future impacts of climate change in all aspects of infrastructure planning, investment, and maintenance, and directed the Natural Resources Agency to convene the Climate-Safe Infrastructure Working Group.

2017

AB 398 (Garcia): AB 398 identifies climate adaptation and resilience as an ongoing prioritized cap-and-trade auction revenue expenditure category.
General Plan Guidelines Update: These guidelines provided guidance to jurisdictions on how to integrate climate change adaptation and mitigation throughout their general plans.
Cal-Adapt 2.0: The second version of Cal-Adapt expanded the original platform to provide new climate projections, more powerful visualizations, and improved access to data.
Planning and Investing for a Resilient California: A Guidebook for State Agencies: The guidebook provided high level guidance on what future climate conditions state agencies should plan for and how state agencies should approach planning differently to adapt to a changing climate.

2018

Indicators of Climate Change in California: The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment released its third report, which compiled 36 indicators grouped into four categories: human-influenced drivers of climate change, such as greenhouse gas emissions; changes in the state’s climate; impacts of climate change on physical systems, such as oceans and snowpack; and impacts of climate change on biological systems – humans, vegetation and wildlife.
Sea-Level Rise Guidance Document Update: The Ocean Protection Council updated previous guidance to support state agencies and local governments in addressing sea-level rise based on best available science.
Third California Climate Adaptation Strategy: The third strategy was organized around 11 sectors, and identified over 1,000 recommendations, next steps, and ongoing actions across state agencies to adapt to climate change.
Fourth Climate Change Assessment: The fourth assessment outlined projected climate change impacts on all regions in the state, providing actionable science for local and regional decision makers for the first time. This assessment also explored issues of urgent and statewide interest, such as environmental justice and sea-level rise, as well as the inaugural Tribal and Indigenous Communities Report.
Climate-Safe Infrastructure Working Group Recommendations: The working group identified key opportunities to safeguard California from climate change through integrating climate science in infrastructure design.
Department of General Services Sustainability Roadmap: The Sustainability Roadmaps identified state facilities most vulnerable to climate change impacts and outlined a plan to incorporate climate resilience measures for new construction, repairs or retrofits.
SB 1035 (Jackson): SB 1035 requires local jurisdictions to include and update climate adaptation and resilience strategies in accordance with housing or safety element updates, but no less frequently than every eight years.
SB 30 (Lara): SB 30 requires the Department of Insurance convene a working group to recommend risk transfer market mechanisms that: (1) promote investment in natural infrastructure to reduce the risks of climate change related to catastrophic events; (2) create incentives for investment in natural infrastructure to reduce risks to communities; and (3) provide mitigation incentives for private investment in natural lands to lessen exposure and reduce climate risks to public safety, property, utilities, and infrastructure.
SB 901 (Dodd): SB 901 enacts a number of initiatives to support the state’s adaptation and resilience to increasingly frequent and extreme wildfires, including changing forest management practices, allocating funding to reduce fuels and improve forest health, and establishing a process for utilities to recoup wildfire-related costs from ratepayers over time.

2019

Caltrans Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments: The California Department of Transportation released twelve district-based Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Reports to help the department assess physical climate risk to the transportation system and work towards becoming more resilient.
Executive Order N-19-19: This executive order calls for embedding physical climate risk into state asset decision making, for state-owned infrastructure, transportation investments, and investment portfolios. It also required the Department of Finance to work with the State Pension Funds to creates a Climate Investment Framework, including a strategy to align the state’s $700 billion investment portfolio toward industries and sectors that contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions and increased resilience to the impacts of climate change.

2020

Caltrans Adaptation Priorities Reports: The California Department of Transportation released twelve district-based Adaptation Priorities Reports that include a prioritized list of potentially exposed assets in each Caltrans District.
Adaptation Planning Guide Update: This update provided a streamlined approach to adaptation planning, in line with national practice. It was also added as an interactive, online feature to the State Adaptation Clearinghouse.
Strategic Plan to Protect California’s Coast and Ocean: This strategy plan sets out critical new actions the state will take to protect our coast and ocean and offers four goals — addressing Climate Change, Equity, Biodiversity, and a Blue Economy—to guide California’s efforts over the next five years to collaboratively catalyze, coordinate, and align key statewide policies, plans, and targets.
Water Resilience Portfolio Initiative: This portfolio serves as California’s roadmap to building water resilience through a diverse set of actions that will prepare our water systems to support our growing state in a warmer, more variable climate.
Department of General Services Sustainability Roadmap: The 2020-2021 sustainability roadmaps include climate change adaptation, zero-emission vehicles, energy, water efficiency and conservation, and green operation results and planning for future years.
Executive Order N-82-20: This executive order directs the state to accelerate nature-based climate solutions that build resilience and contribute to carbon neutrality.
SB 1320 (Stern): SB 1320 calls for development of California Climate Change Assessments every five years and defines climate vulnerable communities.

2021

Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan: This action plan outlines a comprehensive approach to reduce wildfire risk for vulnerable communities, improve the health of forests and wildlands, and accelerate action to combat climate change.
SB 1 (Atkins): SB 1 requires sea-level rise be addressed within the coastal zone and drives better coordination across state government and funding mechanisms to address sea-level rise.
California High-Speed Rail Authority Climate Adaptation Plan: The adaptation plan details actions to assess and address climate hazards and increase system resilience.
Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for the Delta and Suisun Marsh: The Delta Stewardship Council published a first-of-its-kind climate change vulnerability assessment for the Delta and Suisun Marsh. It takes a comprehensive, regional approach to climate resiliency that cuts across regional boundaries and commits to collaboration across state, local, and regional levels.
The Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety is created in the Natural Resources Agency to oversee electric utility wildfire prevention efforts.
The Adaptation Planning Grant Program (APGP), run by the Office of Planning and Research, is launched and will fill local, regional, and tribal planning needs, provide communities the resources to identify climate resilience priorities, and support the development of a pipeline of climate resilient infrastructure projects across the state.
The Regional Resilience Planning and Implementation Grant Program (RRPG), run by the Office of Planning and Research, is launched to advance regional climate resilience efforts, including identifying climate resilience priorities, building capacity, and implementing projects that respond to a region’s climate risks.
The Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Grant Program (EHCRP), run by the Office of Planning and Research, is launched and will help communities prepare for the impacts of extreme heat.

2022

Extreme Heat Action Plan: This plan outlines a strategic and comprehensive set of state actions to address extreme heat, and serves as an update to the “Preparing California for Extreme Heat Guidance and Recommendations” report released in 2013.
Climate Smart Lands Strategy: This strategy identifies priority nature-based solutions to deliver climate benefits across all of California’s diverse land types and guides state programs and investments.
Cal-Adapt: The California Energy Commission releases an early version of the Cal-Adapt Analytics Engine data platform to facilitate access to open-source California-specific and surrounding area data including historical and future climate projections.
California’s Strategic Plan for Expanding the Use of Beneficial Fire: This plan is released by the Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force to expand the use of prescribed fire and cultural burning to build forest and community resilience statewide.
AB 2251 (Calderon): This bill amended the Urban Forestry Act (PRC 4799.06-4799.12.1), by adding Public Resources Code 4799.10.2. This section requires the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to develop a statewide strategic plan to increase urban tree canopy cover.
Indicators of Climate Change in California: The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment released the fourth edition of this report, which compiled 41 indicators tracking human-influenced drivers of climate change, such as greenhouse gas emissions, impacts of climate change on physical systems, and impacts of climate change on vegetation, wildlife, and human health. A new section presented the perspectives and experiences of eight California Native American tribes on how climate change has impacted their people, their land, and their resources.
AB 2238 (L. Rivas): This bill requires the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) to develop a statewide extreme heat ranking system in coordination with the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program, the State Department of Public Health, and the Department of Insurance. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment is developing this ranking system, called California Communities Extreme Heat Scoring System (CalHeatScore), on behalf of CalEPA.
Heat Guidance for Schools: California Department of Public Health released new heat guidance for schools.
Heat Guidance for Local Health Jurisdictions and Community Service Providers: California Department of Public Health released new heat guidance to protect communities from heat-related health impacts, with particular focus on supporting population groups most at risk.
The California Climate Change Assessment established a Tribal Research Program to uplift traditional knowledges and indigenous expertise throughout climate change assessment research. This includes grants for tribally led research and climate projects, a tribal advisory group, and research synthesis to develop a tribally-led report regarding how tribal communities across California are experiencing and adapting to the impacts of climate change.
State Agency Sea Level Rise Action Plan for California: The Ocean Protection Council released this plan to achieve coastal resilience through comprehensive, coordinated, and collaborative work across state agencies.
California’s Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to Hotter, Drier Future: This document captures strategies for ensuring California has the water needed for generations to come in the face of a warming climate that increases the volume of water absorbed by soils, vegetation, and the atmosphere itself.
AB 209: This bill requires the California Department of Housing and Community Development to submit policy recommendations designed to ensure that residential dwelling units can maintain the recommended maximum safe indoor air temperature.
AB 1384 (Gabriel): The Resiliency Through Adaptation, Economic Vitality, and Equity Act of 2022 calls for the prioritization of climate vulnerable communities and equity in the California Climate Adaptation Strategy, as well as the addition of timeframes and specific metrics to measure and evaluate the state’s progress in implementing the strategy.

2023

California Water Plan Update: This update focused on three intersecting themes: addressing climate urgency, strengthening watershed resilience, and achieving equity in water management. The California Water Plan is the State’s strategic plan for sustainably managing and developing water resources for current and future generations and is updated every 5 years.
Wildfire and Landscape Resilience Interagency Treatment Dashboard: The Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force released this dashboard which is a first-of-its-kind platform that displays the location and size of federal and state wildfire and landscape resilience treatments throughout the state.
Heat Ready California: This statewide outreach and public awareness campaign was launched by the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications. The campaign targets vulnerable populations through a trusted messenger network of community-based organizations and a paid media campaign with a focus on ethnic media. It leverages local partners to deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate and accessible information. A dedicated website serves as a resource hub for extreme heat information.
Heat Guidance for Local Jurisdictions: California Department of Public Health released an Interim Guide to Health Equity-Centered Local Heat Planning.
The Regional Climate Collaboratives (RCC) Program was established to fund coalitions of community-serving partners in under-resourced communities to establish community priorities, develop a pipeline of projects, and align projects with state, federal, and philanthropic funding opportunities.
SB 306 (Caballero): This bill requires the Office of Planning and Research and the Natural Resources Agency to update the Extreme Heat Action Plan every three years to promote comprehensive, coordinated, and effective state and local government action on extreme heat, as provided.
SB 272 (Laird): This bill requires a local government within the coastal zone or within the jurisdiction of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) to develop a sea level rise plan as part of either a local coastal program that is subject to approval by the California Coastal Commission, or a subregional San Francisco Bay shoreline resiliency plan that is subject to approval by the BCDC.
The Tribal Capacity Building Pilot Program was launched by the California Strategic Growth Council and provides funding and technical assistance to California Native American tribes, enhancing their staff capacity to advance tribes’ climate-related work.
AB 1653 (Sanchez): This bill requires the California Interscholastic Federation, in consultation with the California Department of Education, to develop guidelines, procedures, and safety standards for the prevention and management of exertional heat illness.

2024

Delta Levees Investment Strategy Regulation Update: This update sets strategic priorities for critical state investments in the maintenance, operations, and improvements of levees.
Nature-Based Solutions Climate Targets: California advanced visionary, comprehensive and science-driven nature-based solutions (NBS) climate targets that contribute to the state’s goals of achieving carbon neutrality no later than 2045 and protecting Californians from the climate crisis.
Cal-Adapt Scientific Guidance: The California Energy Commission released scientific guidance on the Analytics Engine to help data users understand how the Analytics Engine tools can be used to achieve resilience goals.
Heat Guidance for Schools: California Department of Public Health released new heat guidance for schools.
State of California Sea Level Rise Guidance: The Ocean Protection Council released the 2024 Science and Policy Update to the State of California Sea Level Rise Guidance to help California prepare for and adapt to rising seas.
Heat Guidance for Pregnant Individuals: California Department of Public Health released new heat guidance for safe pregnancies.
Heat Guidance for High School Athletics: California Interscholastic Federation released new heat and air quality policy.