§ 23-84-2. Legislative findings.
It is hereby found and declared by the general assembly as follows:
(1) Climate change impacts have already arrived in Rhode Island. Average temperatures
in the state have increased by one point five degrees Fahrenheit (1.5° F) since 1970
and mean winter temperatures in the state are up by four degrees Fahrenheit (4° F).
The annual mean surface temperature of Narragansett Bay has increased two point seven
degrees Fahrenheit (2.7° F) since the 1960s. Droughts are becoming longer and more
frequent, storms cause worse flooding, and the sea level is measurably rising over
eight inches (8") since 1930 at an accelerated rate. Gases released by the consumption
of fossil fuels explain most of these trends very well; since these gases stay in
the atmosphere and trap heat for decades, the residents of Rhode Island are being
locked into serious disruptions in their way of life.
(2) If emissions continue at the current high rate, the annual number of days over ninety
degrees Fahrenheit (90° F) is expected to grow sharply from about five (5) per year
today to about fifty (50) to sixty (60) per year at the end of the century. Rhode
Island is expected to experience roughly twenty-five (25) days over one hundred degrees
Fahrenheit (100° F) every summer if we continue on a high emissions pathway. Under
these scenarios, Rhode Island's summer heat index in 2100 will resemble Georgia's
current summers. Such scenarios could see Rhode Island seas rise three (3) to five
(5) feet by 2100. Increased flooding and droughts are widely recognized in climate
models to dominate Rhode Island's expected weather patterns as the potential for more
intense storms increases.
(3) Rhode Island's residents and the ecosystems that sustain us face three (3) main types
of increasing risks: (i) Rising temperatures (which put stress on human health and
ecosystems); (ii) More extreme weather (bringing more frequent heavy thunderstorms
and flooding, heat waves and more intense coastal storms and hurricanes); and (iii)
Flooding and damage to homes, businesses, public infrastructure and coastal habitats
along the state's over four hundred (400) miles of coastline by storm surges and rising
sea levels.
(4) While Rhode Island has taken leadership in developing and adopting a sea level rise
policy and draft guidelines, identifying climate issues within the state's coastal
program and its special area management plans and compiling existing research on various
trends associated with climate change, there is no comprehensive state-wide assessment
of projected impacts of climate change to human health and safety, economic and natural
resources of the state. Many states in the region have begun to develop commission
and statewide strategies for climate change.
(5) Communities around the United States and the world are beginning to address these
increased risks by adjusting their building codes, improving and updating their emergency
plans, identifying their greatest vulnerabilities and prioritizing actions to address
them and incorporating climate change projections in planning for long-term infrastructure
investments. Rhode Island can learn from and build upon these efforts. Some communities
are even discovering opportunities in this crisis to address longstanding vulnerabilities,
and the potential to develop new industries to supply adaptation technology and advice
to communities.
(6) Natural ecosystems and habitats, both coastal and upland, provide critical ecosystem
services including, fisheries habitat, drinking water, and flood protection. These
resources play an important role in minimizing risks and hazard exposure to climate
change impacts such as coastal and riverline flooding. Forested watersheds provide
increased protection from the impacts of both flooding and droughts, absorbing water
during storm events, and releasing it slowly over time.
(7) Tree canopy cover is a cost-effective adaptation to climate change, particularly in
the urban environment. In particular, increasing urban tree canopy cover has been
found to reduce summer high temperatures, reduce energy consumption, have a positive
impact on stormwater management and air quality, and improve groundwater quality.
Increasing tree canopy cover will also help the state achieve its goal of mitigating
carbon dioxide emissions by enhancing biotic sequestration and reducing energy consumption.
(8) An October 2008 study by the National Research Council found that some of the benefits
of green infrastructure include a reduction of stormwater runoff, surface water discharge,
stormwater pollution and stormwater flows.
(9) While increasing the urban tree canopy is critical to reducing the urban heat island
effect, strategies incorporating other forms of green infrastructure, including green
roofs and walls, hold significant cooling potential; a 2007 study in Bioscience revealed
that if the city of Toronto greened fifty percent (50%) of its roof space, the temperature
of the entire city would drop by two degrees Fahrenheit (2° F), and because there
is more wall space than roof space, green facades and living walls are ideal supplements.
(10) Existing federal programs and potential federal climate change legislation may provide
significant funding and other resources to help states and localities begin planning
and taking adaptation actions. To receive these funds, state governments may be required
to complete climate change response plans; this chapter seeks to assist the state
in beginning the process of preparing such a plan.
(11) This chapter seeks to protect the historic culture, heritage, economy, public infrastructure,
natural resources and the current and future well-being of the population of the State
of Rhode Island while helping move the state to an active response to climate change
impacts by identifying some of the most critical issues that will have to be addressed,
and by investigating and implementing cost-effective solutions and/or adaptation strategies
for the state and its municipalities.