A new CTG white paper provides ideas for planners, developers and public agencies on responding to the challenges of climate impacts and real estate development. (Click
here for full text.) The paper outlines four best practices that public and private entities will want to consider as they survey the growing pressures and opportunities presented by climate impact issues.
Planners and developers will be on the frontlines of this next stage, according to Chris Pyke, CTG, where they will be expected to look at the role of neighborhoods and communities as contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. They will also come under increasing pressure to assess the consequences of changing climatic conditions.
Pyke describes four best management practices to address these new responsibilities:
- Conduct an initial screening-level assessment of the consequences of climate change for a specific neighborhood or community, including contributions to the drivers of climate change (greenhouse gases) and exposure to the consequences (e.g., rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns).
- Develop a quantitative greenhouse gas emissions inventory.
- Use information from the inventory to identify and prioritize emission reduction strategies.
- Use information from the climate change screening assessment to identify and prioritize opportunities to make the neighborhood or community more resilient to changing conditions.
“Planners and developers who take these actions will be able to reduce the risk of regulatory surprises, minimize future liabilities, and potentially create new business opportunities,” says Pyke.
Dr. Pyke can be reached directly at cpyke@ctgenergetics.com.
