The City of Santa Monica staff will present the city’s second Climate Action and Adaptation Plan to City Council in late May. The Plan focuses on objectives in three sectors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: Zero Net Carbon Buildings, Zero Waste, and Sustainable Mobility. It aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of city residents, businesses and visitors by 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2030 and set us on a path to eliminate the city’s effective carbon emissions by 2050.
Over the last several weeks Climate Action Santa Monica has reviewed the draft document and provided dozens of ideas and suggestions to support developing a visionary plan with concrete objectives. In addition, the city received hundreds of comments during its online public comment period. Those comments and the city’s responses, as well as the plan itself, are available online here.
An important theme in the Plan is resilience, which refers to Santa Monicans’ ability to respond to, and come together, and thrive even when faced with adverse conditions such as extreme heat and weather events. The impacts of climate change tend to hit people who are economically or physically vulnerable most deeply. Solutions that are equitable to all citizens and neighborhoods are an integral part of the plan’s vision.
The key to the plan’s success will be how deeply the city’s residents, businesses, visitors and other stakeholders support the plan’s goals and strategies. This will depend on people making climate-aware choices, such as choosing to bike or take transit rather than driving, or considering the impact of their food choices, what to choose for their next vehicle or deciding if installing solar is right for them. CASM’s outreach programs will be accelerating our community’s understanding of the role that each of us play and how to maximize our efforts.
If you are interested in helping CASM work to bring the new Climate Plan to life, please contact us.
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