On November 10th, the City Council approved the first-ever Bainbridge Island Climate Action Plan (CAP). One of the 18 immediate actions recommended in the CAP was the use of the EcoAdapt Climate Change Adaptation Certification Tool (Tool) as the City’s “climate lens” when making decisions within the City.
The Tool builds on the 2018 Bainbridge Island Climate Impact Assessment and the 2016 Comprehensive Plan update. The Tool was completed in December 2018 by Islanders Lara Hansen (EcoAdapt) and Stacey Justus Nordgren (Foresight Partners Consulting). The Tool is designed to fit into existing City processes and walks a user through a series of questions to determine whether climate change impacts could affect a project’s success. The result is an assessment of whether the project should be approved, denied, approved with conditions, redesigned, etc.
Specifically, the Tool could be used to:
- Identify and avoid risks as part of the permitting process for all new and renovated buildings;
- Evaluate all City land acquisition and development decisions for City lands and private development; and
- Review new waste-related infrastructure projects.
The first step in implementing that Tool is to identify a pilot that City staff can work on to evaluate the utility for City projects and whether modifications to the Tool are necessary. After the pilot is completed City staff would report back to the City Council.
For more information on the Tool you can go to: https://www.cakex.org/tools/climate-change-adaptation-certification-tool
