The Climate has Changed: Now What? Integrated Regional Water Management and Climate Change Planning

Adapting California’s water management systems
in response to climate change presents one of
the most significant challenges for the 21st century. In the course of the past five years, the
California Department of Water Resources has
taken an active role in both identifying
opportunities to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) eissions and in positioning California to adapt
to changes happening now and in the future. The recent publication of the Climate Change
Handbook for Regional Water Planning is the most
recent effort to bring together two separate
water planning efforts – integrated regional water management and climate change mitigation
and adaptation. The key to this planning synthesis is a significant change in the way water
planners have addressed issues of water management.
This paper looks at the development of
integrated regional water management and climate change planning by the CDWR and their
current union in the Handbook.