Starting Thursday, Cal Poly will host a sold-out two-day conference on campus on city and regional planning for climate change. Registration was limited to 200.

The university is describing the event as the first conference to focus solely on the practice of local and regional climate action planning in the state. Experts will give in-depth presentations on the technical and political facets of planning for the effects of climate change.

“Recent events such as Hurricane Sandy and the country’s record-setting temperatures and drought this past year remind us of the urgency for tackling the problems of climate change,” said Michael Boswell, conference organizer and Cal Poly planning professor. “This conference addresses the critically important role for communities and regions.”

Keynote speaker will be Henry Hilken, director of planning and research at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which covers the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research is also sponsoring the event.