A city (or county) is not an accident but the result of coherent visions and aims

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5.  Update the safety element with adaptation and resilience considerations consistent with this chapter. This update can be done 
through incorporation by reference of a plan that meets the requirements of this chapter, through incorporation in entirety of 
language that meets the requirements, or other appropriate mechanism. When updating the safety element to address 
climate 
change
, it is important to review other elements of the general plan to ensure consistency. 
Steps 2, 3, and 4 respond to the nine step process outlined in the 
Adaptation Planning Guide (APG)
. 
Source:
 Adaptation Planning Guide, 2012
The APG is periodically updated in conjunction with updates of the 
Safeguarding California Plan
 and 
State Hazard Mitigation 
Plan
. The next APG update will include updates to address the requirements of 
Government Code section 65302(g)(4)
. You can 
review further detail for each step in the APG 
in the document
. 
1.  Exposure: What climate change effects will a community experience?
2.  Sensitivity: What aspects of a community (people, structures and functions) will be affected?
3.  Potential Impacts: How will climate change affect the points of sensitivity?

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4. Adaptive Capacity: What is currently being done to address the impacts?
5. Risks and Onset: How likely are the impacts and how quickly will they occur?
6. Prioritize Adaptive Needs: Which impacts require actions to address them?
7. Identify Strategies: Identify the strategies that should be pursued to address adaptation needs?
8. Evaluate and Prioritize: Which strategies should be implemented first?
9. Phase and Implement: How can the strategies be funded, staffed and monitored?
Senate Bill 1000
, adopted in 2016, requires local governments to incorporate
 environmental justice
 (EJ) policies into their general 
plans, either in a separate EJ element or by integrating related goals, policies, and objectives throughout the other elements. This 
update, or revision if the local government already has EJ goals, policies, and objectives, must happen “upon the adoption or next 
revision of two or more elements concurrently on or after January 1, 2018.” 
Environmental justice
 should be considered when making 
decisions about climate change adaptation and resiliency. For additional information on how the new requirement applies to this and 
other elements in the general plan guidelines, refer to the 
environmental justice element
 discussion.
Complete a vulnerability assessment (steps 1-5 of the Adaptation Planning Guide)
As outlined in 
Government Code section 65302(g)(4)
 and the 
APG
, the vulnerability analysis should incorporate information 
from multiple sources. Case studies can also be quite helpful in order to inform a jurisdiction’s efforts. Although much of 
climate adaptation related policy work is an emerging practice, a number of examples are available to provide context. Case 
studies are available through OPR’s 
Integrated Climate Adaptation Resilience Program
 (ICARP) “Case Studies” webpage. 
The results of the 
Annual Planning Survey
 and the awareness of efforts occurring in surrounding communities can also be 
helpful. External resources such as the 
Climate Resilience Toolkit, Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKEx)
 and the 
Georgetown University Adaptation Clearinghouse
 can also be helpful. 
Numerous tools are available to support climate change analysis, such as those referenced in the table in 
Chapter 8, Climate 
Change
. Specific tools to address climate change adaptation include the following.
Guidelines for CEQA compliance
CEQA Guidelines
Comprehensive framework for addressing adaptation at the local level
APG
Visualization tool for the impacts of climate change and links to 
resources
Cal-Adapt
Federal resource for visualizing impacts, case studies, decision support
Climate Resilience Toolkit
Guide to developing adaptation policy at the local level in California
Adaptation Planning Guide
Georgetown University Climate Center Adaptation Clearinghouse
Adaptation Clearinghouse
The State’s approach to addressing climate impacts
Safeguarding California Plan
The State’s framework for climate hazards
State Hazard Mitigation Plan
See also: Chapter 7, Climate Change of the General Plan Guidelines
Chapter 8, Climate
See also: OPR Adaptation Clearinghouse
ICARP
T O O L S   T O   A D D R E S S   C L I M A T E   A D A P T A T I O N

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Including the following information will help a jurisdiction 
satisfy the minimum requirements of 
Government Code 
section 65302(g)(4)
. A deeper level of analysis is encouraged 
as data, policy and implementation methods continue to 
improve over time. In all cases, reviewing the information and 
process guidance in the 
California Adaptation Planning Guide 
(APG) 
should be the first step, in parallel with reviewing data 
and information in the 
Cal-Adapt
 tool. In some cases, working 
through a regional collaborative such as those working 
through the 
Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate 
Adaptation (ARCCA)
, to identify partnering opportunities in 
analysis and implementation may provide value, and in some 
cases, resources. Regional guidance may differ from guidance 
provided in this chapter, and may be appropriate as long as 
it meets the minimum requirements as shown in the safety 
element checklist. Staff at the 
ICARP 
can also answer questions 
about the available tools and help jurisdictions choose the 
appropriate resources. New tools and sources of data will be 
added to the ICARP Adaptation Clearinghouse as they become 
available. Other important data sources include:
1. Local agency data on the types of assets, resources, and
populations that will be sensitive to various climate change
exposures. This can be obtained through overlaying 
Cal-
Adapt
 outputs with the 
General Plan Mapping Tool (GPMT)
and augmenting with locally relevant data. This service will
be provided in updates to both tools.
2. Local agency data on current status of climate change
preparedness, including institutional capacity, redundancy
limitations, critical assets inventory, exposure risk and 
vulnerability of disadvantaged communities. Sources
include municipal service reviews developed by LAFCOs,
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) data, other regionally available data, local hazard mitigation planning
documents and data in the 
General Plan Mapping Tool
, 
Cal-Adapt
 and 
MyPlan
.
3. Historical data on natural events and hazards, including locally prepared risk and vulnerability maps, and sites that have
been repeatedly damaged. This information can be obtained by visiting the 
General Plan Mapping Tool
, 
MyPlan
, 
Cal-Adapt
and the 
Climate Resilience Toolkit
 in addition to locally available data that may provide more specificity, detail and context.
4. Existing and planned development in identified at-risk areas, including structures, roads, utilities, and essential public
Assessing vulnerability and risk can help a community plan infrastructure 
in more resilient areas
Image by Urban Advantage, SANDAG

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