SAN DIEGO, April 13, 2022 - Today, Climate Action Campaign (CAC) unveiled the fifth edition of their Climate Action Plan (CAP) Report Card at a press conference. The Report Card details how well 18 cities and the County of San Diego are implementing their identified climate solutions to achieve a safe and liveable future.

At the press conference, Co-Author Brenda Garcia Millan explained that “This Report Card comes at a historic juncture. The latest UN climate report shows that we are ‘on track toward an unlivable world' and that it is ‘now or never’ if we want to reverse climate calamity. Cities are key contributors to climate change, and this Report Card provides them with an objective analysis of how our local governments are doing to fulfill their promises.”

This year, Encinitas, Escondido, and La Mesa demonstrated leadership on climate in San Diego County through strong political commitments to climate from their elected leaders, investing in implementing their Climate Action Plans and monitoring their progress to ensure they are on track. Today, many cities are on track to achieve 100% clean energy through our region’s two Community Choice Energy programs. In addition, the County of San Diego has stepped up as a leader through its Regional Decarbonization Framework.

Unfortunately, these gains are overshadowed by local governments' failure to reach their climate goals. Without robust implementation and funding plans, measurable equity goals, and regional collaboration, cities continue to fall far from achieving their CAP goals, and our region is nowhere near achieving a zero carbon future.

The state and federal governments have earmarked hundreds of millions of dollars for investment in climate solutions, so the San Diego region has an unprecedented opportunity to lead on climate. I

f cities want to bring these resources back to their communities, they must do their homework and implement the following recommendations outlined in this year’s CAP Report Card:

Commit to Zero Carbon CAPs: While nearly all cities in the San Diego region have adopted Climate Action Plans, these are not ambitious enough to meet the scope and scale of the climate crisis. Currently, the City of San Diego’s pending CAP Update is the only plan proposing a zero carbon emissions target by 2035, and 5 CAPs are not yet legally binding.

Get Serious About Funding and Implementation: To reach a Zero Carbon future, local governments must complement legally binding CAPs with robust funding and implementation plans that identify associated costs, timelines, and leading agencies and point of contact in charge of decarbonization projects.

Create a Regional Climate Network: Cities must work together in regional collaboration on a broader scale to achieve broader climate goals. A Regional Climate Network would dissolve existing silos so cities may strategize and plan for how to reach regional and state climate goals together, all while holding each other accountable, sharing ideas, collaborating on projects, securing funding, and ensuring equitable implementation of climate strategies across the region.

Electrify Everything: As the third-largest source of GHG emissions in the region, cities must adopt strategies to transition off of natural (methane) gas and electrify building and transportation sectors as soon as possible.

Build Affordable Homes Near World-Class Transit: Transportation accounts for more emissions than any other sector in the region. The only way to slash emissions is to stop car-dependent, dangerous, and unsustainable sprawl development in high fire risk areas.

Promote Nature-Based Solutions and Green Infrastructure: In addition to urban tree planting, cities should expand actions to protect, manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems via Nature Based-Solutions. Specifically, cities should invest in green infrastructure to promote green streets, clean water, stormwater capture, and protect and restore natural lands.

Create Healthy Food Systems: According to the UN, food systems account for over one-third of the global GHG emissions. As the climate crisis accelerates, agricultural losses increase food insecurity risks. To fight food insecurity and ensure our communities thrive, CAPs should incorporate local food systems measures in their decarbonization efforts.

Uplift Communities of Concern and Create More Good Green Jobs: Climate change hits hardest in communities of concern disproportionately burdened by multiple sources of pollution and face health and socioeconomic challenges. The region must ensure that no community, including fossil fuel workers, is burdened or left behind when transitioning to Zero Carbon by 2035. This transition must include creating good family-sustaining union jobs, creating an equitable jobs pipeline for communities of color and workers, and developing affordable, equitable, and inclusive communities powered by 100% clean, renewable energy.

Madison Coleman, Co-Author of the Report Card, said, “While we are winning some battles, we are losing the war against the climate crisis. The path to a Zero Carbon future will not be easy, but we will emerge on the other side with cleaner air, cleaner water, better health, and livable neighborhoods.”

Read the full report at: https://www.climateactioncampaign.org/report-card