To: Board of Supervisors, Board of Directors Sonoma County Water Agency
Department or Agency Name(s): Board of Supervisors, Sonoma County Water Agency
Staff Name and Phone Number: Grant Davis 547-1911
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Travel for United Nations International Climate Change Conference
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) to reimburse travel costs (other than airfare) for a delegation to attend the November 2022 United Nations International Climate Change Conference. Authorize delegated authority for County Administrator/Sonoma Water General Manager to exchange delegates if needed.
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Executive Summary:
The United Nations (UN) holds international conferences in autumn of each year to bring together global leaders in the effort to prevent catastrophic global climate change and to prepare for and adapt to the likely impacts of increasing global temperature. The conferences include both plenary sessions where international representatives negotiate agreements on climate protection protocols as well as policy and technical meetings where representatives from around the world exchange information concerning the development of climate protection policy and the implementation of projects to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to a changing climate. The 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the UN will take place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
Estimated Cost: $30,000 (Sonoma Water)
Funding is available from appropriation in the Fiscal Year 2022/23 general fund.
Discussion:
Local Government Participation:
Local governments have been involved in UN Climate Conferences since their beginning in 1995. The meetings offer an opportunity for local officials to demonstrate and share progress being made on climate protection goals, to strengthen the local voice in development of international policy, and to demonstrate the high potential of local government to achieve implementation of future UN climate agreements. Participation of local government representatives in past UN Climate Conferences has been coordinated by the Global Council for Science and the Environment (GCSE) and Applied Solutions Coalition (AS).
The County of Sonoma and Sonoma Water benefit from participation in the UN Climate Conferences by the exchange of information and strategic concepts with local government organizations from around the world. The County of Sonoma and Sonoma Water also gain knowledge necessary to develop state and federal initiatives that integrate with international strategies emerging from the UN deliberations.
The County of Sonoma and Sonoma Water are the founding members of the AS Coalition and are represented on the GCSE Board of Directors. The delegation from Sonoma County will be attending COP 27 under the umbrella organization of GCSE and AS Coalition. In addition, representatives from the Climate Center, Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, Sonoma Clean Power, and a delegation from the State of California and other local governments will be attending COP 27. Academic scientists and local government leaders at GCSE are uniquely positioned to accelerate the use of science and evidence to inform and make more durable local government environmental decisions and policies. Working with universities, local government leaders can access and maximize data collection and research tools to rationalize their policies to better meet their individual community-level climate goals.
Applied Solutions was established in 2009 as an independent nonprofit. Recognizing the value for science that GCSE and Applied Solutions communities share in common, GCSE absorbed Applied Solutions as the Applied Solutions Program in 2020. Today, the GCSE Applied Solutions Program is growing a community of scientists and local decision-makers to work together to share and leverage experiences spanning work at the policy and implementation levels. By sharing knowledge, lessons learned, and best practices, local governments and institutions of higher education around the world can unlock science-informed solutions to mitigate ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, climate change, and to protect ecosystem services and communities ranging from people, to flora and fauna.
Previous COP Participation:
The County of Sonoma and Sonoma Water have been invited and participated in past COP conferences including 2007, 2008, 2009 and most recently in 2021.
COP 27 Climate Change Conference, Egypt:
Sonoma Water proposes to send representatives to this conference as a part of the delegation being organized by the GCSE and AS. Delegates will rotate responsibilities for staffing the pavilion booth which will highlight the sustainability/climate change adaptation innovations occurring within the County of Sonoma. This booth will host delegation meetings, display educational information and materials featuring Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations, Advanced Quantitative Precipitation Information, wildfire resiliency and fire camera initiatives, Sonoma County Energy Independence Program, Sonoma Clean Power, and others. The booth will seek to also gain partnerships in the AS Coalition, which will continue to have a multi-year presence at COP meetings as part of its mission to engage local, state, federal and international partners to implement climate change policies and projects.
The recommended Sonoma Water delegation for COP-27 is currently under development but is expected to include 4 delegates.
Lodging, meal and ground transportation reimbursement costs for the UN Conference delegation are estimated at $30,000. All delegates will pay for their own airfare to and from the COP-27 conference.
Strategic Plan:
County Strategic Plan: This item directly support the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Climate Action and Resiliency
Goal: Goal 1: Continue to invest in wildfire preparedness and resiliency strategies
Objective: Objective 1: Align the Board of Supervisor’s strategic priorities, policy, and operational goals with funding and resources.
Sonoma Water Strategic Plan Alignment Climate Change, Goal 1: Continuing improving our ability to respond and adapt to climate change. Local governments have been involved in UN Climate Conferences since their beginning in 1995. The meetings offer an opportunity for local officials to demonstrate and share progress being made on climate protection goals, to strengthen the local voice in development of international policy, and to demonstrate the high potential of local government to achieve implementation of future UN climate agreements.
Prior Board Actions:
None.
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY 22-23 Adopted |
FY23-24 Projected |
FY 24-25 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
$30,000 |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
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Total Expenditures |
$30,000 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
$30,000 |
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State/Federal |
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$30,000 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Estimated cost of $30,000 for reimbursement of lodging, meals and incidental expenses, VISA, and local transport. Delegates will pay for their own airfare to and from the COP-27 conference.
Budgeted amount of $30,000 is available from FY 2022/2023 appropriations for the Sonoma Water General Fund. No additional appropriation is required.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
None.
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None.