Last year, the City of San Diego released a draft Climate Action Plan (CAP) Update, committing the city to reach zero carbon by 2035. CAC applauded the city’s bold vision and commitment to a climate-safe and climate-ready future. However, after seven years of failed CAP implementation, the community needs more information about how the city plans to fund and implement this new CAP before we’re ready to commit to even more aggressive climate goals.
In partnership with a diverse coalition of 30 organizations, we sent a letter to the Mayor and Council urging them to:
Support a legally-binding, zero carbon CAP Update that centers equity, uplifts communities of concern, and creates good-paying union jobs;
Develop a comprehensive implementation plan with associated costs and funding strategies to accompany the CAP Update; and
Review SANDAG’s CAP Implementation Cost Analysis as a model for implementation planning.
[Above: the 30 organizations that linked arms with us to call for a funding and implementation plan]
After years of unclear progress on existing climate targets, transparency is critical. The community needs to know how much it will cost to implement the CAP. At the same time, funding and implementation plans will be critical if San Diego wants to attract federal and state funding for climate strategies.
Without an implementation plan with associated costs, we fear that San Diego will make more ambitious commitments without the funding or plans to make them a reality. This could cause the city to lose out on millions of dollars in potential funding.
We expect the draft Climate Action Plan Update to go before the city’s Environment Committee in May and we’ll need your help to elevate the need for a funding and implementation plan. We’ll keep you posted on the next steps. Hang tight!