Building on its long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship, OCTA recently completed the Climate Adaptation and Sustainability Plan (CASP) to establish a framework aligned with statewide sustainability goals that addresses the impacts of climate change on the county’s transportation system.
OCTA’s CASP champions sustainability while adapting to an evolving environment, ensuring the delivery of reliable and balanced transportation choices. The plan details strategies to address climate change’s multifaceted challenges, including greenhouse gas emissions, climate-related hazards to facilities, and enhancing OCTA’s adaptive capacity to protect the community.
“As stewards of taxpayers’ dollars and our environment, the completion of OCTA’s Climate Adaptation and Sustainability Plan will be a guide for us to outline actions to achieve effective climate goals,” said OCTA Chair Tam T. Nguyen. “I’m also pleased that the plan will help us create a path to a greener and more resilient tomorrow.”
Environmental stewardship is built into the fabric of all of OCTA’s initiatives and the agency has been a leader and innovator in this space for decades. In 2021, OCTA issued its Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan to support current OCTA emergency and crisis management plans and strengthen the agency’s preparedness in the face of natural hazards, including climate change.
Building upon OCTA’s existing efforts, the CASP identifies 34 unique assets, evaluating their vulnerability against seven climate hazards:
· Air quality
· Precipitation changes and drought
· Flooding
· Severe storms and extreme weather
· Storm surges
· Temperature changes
· Wildfires
Using impact and adaptive capacity scores, OCTA’s facilities, programs and services have been assessed to prioritize adaptation strategies and to minimize future disruptions to the public and passengers, increased operations and maintenance costs, and operational disruptions.
The plan presents adaptation strategies for OCTA’s consideration tailored to specific climate stressors. In parallel, OCTA has also refined its greenhouse gas inventory methodology, setting a solid baseline for tracking progress. Innovative strategies outlined include transitioning to a cleaner fleet and implementing energy efficiency measures across facilities.
With exploratory targets and recommended strategies outlined, OCTA will now focus on goal setting, financial analysis, and feasibility studies to drive these strategies forward. OCTA will continue engaging with internal and external stakeholders to refine these pathways for a sustainable transit future.