California Prepares for A Climate-Safe Future with New Climate Adaptation Strategy

Today, Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled California's updated Climate Adaptation Strategy - the state's overarching framework to better protect communities and nature from dangerous climate impacts.

"California is on the frontlines of the climate crisis - facing extreme heat, firestorms, drought, flooding, and rising seas that threaten our communities, our economy, and our way of life," said Governor Gavin Newsom. "Too many Californians, especially seniors, outdoor workers, and low-income families, are being hit hardest because they lack vital resources. That's unacceptable. California is taking action to protect our people and our places, and we're doing it with the urgency this crisis demands."

California last updated the Strategy in 2021. Since then, the state has made historic investments in climate resilience, set ambitious goals, and prioritized support for vulnerable communities. A review of progress reported between 2022 and 2024 found that 92 percent of all 2021 metrics are well underway, nearing completion, or completed, and that two-thirds of metrics scheduled to end between 2021 and 2024 have been completed. Points of progress are highlighted in annual implementation reports to the Legislature. A few recent climate adaptation success stories include:

• Bolstering community and infrastructure resilience to flooding through the largest single tidal wetland restoration project in the Delta to date.
• Protecting communities from the state's largest wildfire in 2024 (and fourth largest in recorded history) through a network of fuel breaks in Butte County that saved lives, protected property, and bolstered the resilience of natural systems.
• Urgently implementing the Delta Conveyance Project, the single most effective strategy to ensure Californians continued water delivery in hotter, drier, and more extreme conditions.
• Finishing the first Caltrans project specifically designed to address sea level rise, realigning a major highway away in Sonoma County from eroding coastal bluffs and ensuring residents' continued access to their sole north-to-south vehicular route.
• Developing CalHeatScore, a cutting-edge tool to forecast and rank heat severity risks to health and link Californians with available resources to stay safe during extreme heat events.

The Strategy released today builds on this progress, focusing on protecting communities, the economy, and nature.

The updated Climate Adaptation Strategy sets strategic direction through six priorities:

1. Protecting communities most vulnerable to climate change
2. Improving public health and safety to protect against increasing climate risk
3. Building a climate-resilient economy
4. Expanding nature-based climate solutions and strengthening the resilience of natural systems
5. Making decisions based on best available climate science
6. Partnering and collaborating to leverage resources

California measures progress toward these priorities through time-bound success metrics. These metrics, introduced in the 2021 Strategy, are tracked over time and reported on annually.

Key updates to the Strategy include:

• The addition of new actions from recent climate initiatives like the 2021 Extreme Heat Action Plan and California's Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future.
• Updates to actions and success metrics to improve clarity and reduce redundancy.
• Increased consistency among success metrics and timeframes to improve implementation reporting.
• Integration of extensive public input, including feedback from over 500 Californians gathered through workshops, community meetings, online sessions, and tribal roundtables.

17 state agencies and many departments contributed to the updated Strategy.

The Strategy is intended to be a resource for all Californians, serving as a central hub for current information on the state's climate resilience actions and progress. Check it out at https://climateresilience.ca.gov/.

Secretary Wade Crowfoot will host an upcoming Secretary Speakers Series on the updated Climate Adaptation Strategy on Thursday, September 11 at 12:00pm. To register, please visit the link here: Webinar Registration - Zoom

A fact sheet and frequently asked questions can be found here.