Land Use Planning and the Changing Climate of the West (Working Paper)

Author(s): Carter, Rebecca
Publication Date: December 2008

82 pages; Inventory ID WP08RC2; English


Land Use Planning and the Changing Climate of the West	1.19 MB

Abstract

Global climate change adds another dimension to the role of land use planners in determining the future of the West. Land use-related climate change practices and policies have the potential to be among the most cost effective and efficient ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and are essential in adapting to existing and inevitable climate change – and often provide additional economic, environmental, and quality of life benefits as well. This is particularly important in the Intermountain West. The region faces additional challenges such as explosive population growth, a changing economy, and limited resources such as water, energy and open space that must increasingly be shared among additional residents. Most Western states have climate action plans that could be better utilized by planners to prioritize and implement effective greenhouse gas mitigation policies that are cost effective, aid in adapting to inevitable climate change, and provide additional benefits as well. This paper reviews those policies. It also includes a discussion of challenges that land use planners may face in attempting to implement land use planning-related state climate action policies at the local level, and offers strategies for overcoming them.