EESI Releases Energy and Climate Guidebook for Local Planners

Planning for a New Energy and Climate Future is the title of a new report that explores the role that professional planners can play in tackling three interconnected challenges facing local communities: meeting energy needs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and adapting to climate change . The report, developed by EESI, the American Planning Association (APA), and the University of North Carolina, Asheville, presents information and strategies to help planners address energy and climate goals and integrate them with other planning actvities. Funding for the project was provided by the Surdna Foundation, George Gund Foundation, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The premise of the report is that changes in the dynamics of energy markets as well as the threat of climate change may profoundly affect local communities both economically and physically. “A number of factors are increasing uncertainty about future energy prices, in particular rising energy demand in developing countries such as China,” notes Jan Mueller, EESI’s lead on the project and a co-author of the report. “But rapidly evolving technology and the economic benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy are providing communities with new opportunities to take charge of their energy future and make greater use of local and regional energy resources.”

Such local efforts to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy are essential to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping reduce the severity of future climate change. Moreover, many communities need to respond to climate change impacts that are happening today and prepare for future changes that are already loaded in the Earth's climate system. "It’s not just about climate change mitigation -- we have to think about adaptation at the same time," Mueller says. The organization of the report reflects that these issues are often co-mingled in decisions regarding development patterns infrastructure, transportation, economic development, building and site design, and natural resources. "Planners do not have the luxury to address these challenges separately," Mueller adds.

The report is being published through the APA's Planning Advisory Service and will be presented at APA's National Planning Conference in New Orleans in April, 2010.