The Local Government Commission and the State of California are organizing the first California Adaptation Forum in the state capital, to be held August 19-20, 2014. This two-day forum will build off last year’s successful National Adaptation Forum in Colorado. The attendance of many California leaders there underscored the need for a California-focused event, which will be held every other year to complement the biennial national forum.
Important Dates / Milestones
- February 20 – Call for Session Proposals Opens
- March 25 – Call for Session Proposals Closes
- May – Registration Opens
- August 19-20 – California Adaptation Forum
Who Will Be There
The Forum will engage a diverse mix of more than 600 California policymakers, practitioners and leaders. The audience will include elected officials, public- and private-sector leaders, nonprofits and researchers addressing public health, energy, water, emergency management, agriculture, biodiversity conservation and coastal management issues associated with climate change and adaptation.
Confirmed Speakers
Chairman of the California Air Resources Board Mary Nichols values innovation, partnerships and common-sense approaches to addressing the state’s air issues. Her priorities as chairman include moving ahead on the state’s landmark climate change program (AB 32), steering the Board through numerous efforts to curb diesel pollution at ports and continuing to pass regulations aimed at providing cleaner air for Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley.
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal is a thought leader in the national climate adaptation dialogue, serving on such groups as President Obama’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience and the U.S. EPA Local Government Advisory Committee.
California Natural Resources Agency Secretary John Laird leads the California Natural Resources Agency which oversees the state’s climate adaptation efforts, including the Safeguarding California Plan: Reducing Climate Risk; California Climate Assessments, Cal-Adapt, and the California Adaptation Planning Guide.
Why You Should Attend
The California Adaptation Forum can help you be more effective in your work: What challenges are your neighborhood, community, city or region currently facing? With sessions in seven different tracks, you will be able to discover and attend numerous sessions that will help you address your community’s most pressing challenges – no matter your discipline or background.
The California Adaptation Forum will provide a valuable opportunity for face-to-face networking: In addition to the cutting-edge tools and resources, best practices, current research and ideas examined in the breakout sessions, the opportunities to network will also be invaluable. Share ideas and solutions with adaptation leaders and colleagues from around the state in a dynamic and inspirational learning environment.
The California Adaptation Forum will bring you together with multiple disciplines, helping to eliminate single-sector thinking: The Forum will offer a diversity of participants who cross sector lines to share experiences, insights, inspiration, valuable implementation tools and strategies. You can also explore how partnerships can provide the political will, technical expertise and the most effective action plans necessary to overcome inertia and change business-as-usual.
