ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the elements of climate planning and provides one specific process to draft a Climate Plan. These steps include: drafting the plan, co-authoring the plan with the public, plan adoption, and implementation. Climate planning involves mitigation and adaptation. The Mitigation Element of a Climate Plan provides an inventory of Greenhouse Gas emissions across all sectors along with recommendations to reduce emissions. The Mitigation Element includes both indicators and benchmarks. Indicators and benchmarks are used to measure progress over time. The Adaptation Element describes upgrades to streets, buildings, and public spaces and proposes adaptation infrastructure. Writing the text for a Climate Plan is just one part of a larger planning process. To maximize success in implementing the plan, community involvement is integral. For this reason, crafting a Climate Plan can take anywhere from six to 16 months based on staff capacity, availability of data and information, and the level of public engagement.
