According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a body of the United Nations that assesses the science related to climate change, the world is already experiencing the impacts of 1 degree Celsius of global warming above pre-industrial levels. Additionally, the IPCC notes that more severe climate impacts could be avoided if global warming is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Globally, emissions need to fall by 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030 and carbon neutral by 2050 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The IPCC acknowledges rapid and far-reaching transitions are needed world-wide to limit global warming.
The 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goals adopted by the COG Board of Directors on October 14, 2020 align with the level of effort called for by the IPCC. COG Board Resolution R45-2020 established interim climate change goals including:
- The climate mitigation goal of 50 percent greenhouse gas emission reductions below 2005 levels by 2030;
- The climate resilience goal of becoming a Climate Ready Region and making significant progress to be a Climate Resilient Region by 2030; and
- The need to incorporate equity principles and expand education on climate change into COG’s CEEPC and its members’ actions to reach the climate mitigation and resiliency goals.
To be a Climate Ready Region by 2030, all local governments must assess current and future climate risks, and integrate climate planning across government plans, operations, and communications. To fully be a Climate Resilient Region, the region must have the ability to adapt and absorb in the face of disturbances caused by current and future, acute and chronic climate impacts and successfully maintain essential functions.
The purpose of the COG Climate and Energy Action plan is to establish priority collaborative actions for COG and its members to work on together over the next ten years to help move the region towards meeting the 2030 goals. Achieving the regional goals would require unprecedented, aggressive cross-sectoral action from all COG members and its state and federal partners.
Transportation Resiliency Study – Phase II (2023-2024)
Building on the strong foundation of resilience work already undertaken, together with member jurisdictions and agencies, TPB is developing the second phase of its transportation resiliency study. The purpose of this study is to continue to advance regional planning for one of the federal Planning Factors, transportation resiliency and reliability, which is also one of TPB’s policy priorities. The study will include a vulnerability assessment of risks posed by natural hazards on generalized transportation assets (phase 1) and regional-specific assets (phase 2), will be guided by a regional working group who will primarily provide input and feedback on key milestones during the project, and will have various deliverables, summarized below.
TRANSPORTATION RESILIENCE IMPROVEMENT PLAN (TRIP)
The main objective of this project is to develop a Transportation Resilience Improvement Plan (TRIP) that will contribute to member organizations’ understanding of and planning for climate change risk and resilience, identify priorities for investments in resilience, and better position MWCOG for federal funding and match reduction under the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) program. The TRIP is a comprehensive plan for state or regional transportation resilience with at least the major components of: a systematic approach to transportation system resilience, a risk-based vulnerability assessment, an investment plan, and a list of transportation resilience projects. Developing a TRIP can lower the non-federal construction match for projects funding by the PROTECT program from 20% to 13% and integrating that TRIP into the LRTP can reduce the match to 10%.
National Capital Region Transportation System Climate Vulnerability Assessment
TRIP Project Request Guidance
TRANSPORTATION RESILIENCE WORKING GROUP
A Transportation Resiliency Working Group of regional stakeholders will provide input and feedback on key milestones during the development of the TPB’s TRIP. The working group will meet quarterly through June 2024 and will participate in the following activities: (1) completion of a vulnerability assessment, (2) request for project proposals from TPB-member organizations to establish a resilience project list for inclusion in the TRIP, (3) a fall 2023 Resiliency Forum with a broader group of stakeholders to build knowledge of climate risks among the jurisdictions and collaborate with them to develop resilience solutions, and (4) drafting and finalizing the Transportation Resilience Improvement Plan.
REGIONAL INTERACTIVE MAP
An additional component of the study is an interactive map of major regional resilience hazards which includes climate hazard layers, transportation asset layers, and Equity Emphasis Areas. Within this study, transportation infrastructure has been evaluated against Inland Flooding, Sea Level Rise, and Median Surface Temperatures throughout the TPB region.
Transportation Resilience Web App
Map Companion Text
2022 Transportation Resiliency Webinar Series
Through its planning priorities, the TPB supports resiliency research, development of data and mapping tools, professional capacity building, and local and regional collaboration to develop an integrated approach to resilience planning. The 2022 webinar series bolsters capacity by providing an introductory webinar on how resilience is approached in the region, along with three in-depth webinars focusing on planning for and technical application of climate integration into vulnerability assessments, resilience planning, and project development and design.
Planners, engineers, transportation, environmental services, community development, and policy professionals were invited to participate in one or more of the sessions.
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TPB Resiliency Webinars Resource Guide - This guide provides guide provides links to the 2022 Resiliency Webinars and key takeaways from each session for easy reference and will be a resource in upcoming TPB resilience activities. Each key takeaway includes a list of available resources from the U.S. Department of Transportation, state DOTs, and TPB member jurisdictions.
TPB Resiliency Study – Phase I (2021-2022)
This study is a first step to implement actions items documented in the 2030 Climate and Energy and Action Plan. For the purpose of this study resilience is “the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to changing conditions and withstand, respond to, and recover rapidly from disruptions.”1 Although such disruptions to the region’s transportation system can have many causes, this project focuses on disruptions relating to natural hazards, such as extreme heat or cold, extreme storm events, and flooding of all kinds – coastal flooding, flooding from rivers and streams, and flash floods that can occur away from bodies of water.
Metropolitan Washington has long dealt with these natural hazards, but recent trends are making it more important for the region’s leaders to plan for improved resilience. As the region’s population and infrastructure investments grow, these hazards pose increased risks to our people and economy. The past decade has seen an uptick in the intensity, frequency, and duration of these natural hazards as the climate has begun to change. The importance of resilience is not only important to the region but to the nation, leading Congress to add resilience and stormwater as factors that transportation agencies must consider when planning.
The purpose of the TPB Resiliency Study is to advance regional planning for one of the federal Planning Factors, transportation resiliency and reliability, which is also one of TPB’s policy priorities.
- TPB Resiliency Study (Memorandum) - The study team conducted research to document planning and capital-programming activities that the TPB member agencies and select partners are undertaking to prepare for the transportation system to be resilient in the face of natural disasters; These findings are summarized in the memorandum.
- TPB Resiliency Study Whitepaper - The study team developed a whitepaper that synthesizes the research findings. It documents regional vulnerabilities to natural hazards, discusses strategies for resilience, addresses equity in resiliency planning and the identifies potential MPO roles in future resilience planning efforts.