Yesterday the County of Alameda Board of Supervisors approved a four-year climate action plan for government services and operations outlining a comprehensive strategy to achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from County operations and build community resilience to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. This plan sets a goal for carbon neutrality in County operations by 2045, aligned with the State of California’s goal.
In 2010, the Board of Supervisors approved the County’s first operational climate plan. The County exceeded that plan’s goal of reducing emissions by over 30 percent from 2003 levels by 2019. A key action contributing to this success was purchasing carbon-free electricity.
“We’ve learned from over a decade of climate leadership that by working with our partners, we can develop creative solutions that improve quality of life for County residents,” said Board President Nate Miley. Miley continued, “Guided by this plan, we will invest in resilient service delivery and aggressively pursue emissions reductions in the County’s operations. We look forward to continuing to support and collaborate with the communities and groups already being affected by climate change. We hope business and local organizations will join us in quickly transitioning to a low-carbon future.”
In 2019, the County declared a climate emergency, noting the severe impacts of global climate change on the local economy and on community health and safety. Since then, climate change has continued to exacerbate heat waves, wildfires and poor air quality, storms, and flooding, as described in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report. The plan’s adoption comes on the heels of a winter of record-setting rainfall where California saw 12 atmospheric river storms. “From blocked roads to health issues, the communities we serve as well as our workforce are affected by climate change. By investing and preparing, we can continue to increase resilience and reduce future risks,” said County Administrator Susan S. Muranishi.
As of 2019, the primary sources of greenhouse gas emissions generated by County government operations were combustion of natural gas in buildings and facilities and the use of gasoline for employee commutes and on-the-job travel. The plan includes actions such as transitioning to all-electric buildings and vehicles powered by renewable energy. The plan also includes actions to promote the resilience of County services and support community preparedness. The plan was developed over two years with input from County employees and residents. Communities likely to be most affected by climate change impacts include older adults, unhoused residents, people with limited English proficiency, residents with pre-existing health conditions and uninsured and underinsured individuals.
County residents can take climate action by getting involved with local sustainability organizations, taking steps to reduce their energy and transportation emissions and engaging with their city or unincorporated area climate plans. The County’s unincorporated Community Climate Action Plan and Safety Element update is currently in development.
View the new plan on the Alameda County website. To sign up for updates on plan implementation, visit https://bit.ly/climateAC.
Related photos can be found at https://bit.ly/climatepressAC.