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City of Berkeley (CA) Climate Action Plan

Keywords / Description:

The changing climate has potentially severe economic, health, social and environmental consequences [in Berkeley], including:

• Threats to coastal infrastructure due to a rising San Francisco Bay: The Bay rose seven inches over the past 150 years. Estimates are that by 2100, the bay could rise up to a meter.
• Increased incidence of large wildfires: The risk of large wildfires in California could increase by as much as 55% by century’s end.
• Serious public health threats: Increasing temperatures exacerbate local air pollution, lead to intensified heat waves, and expand the range for infectious diseases.
• Water shortages: Due to rising temperatures, the Sierra Nevada mountain snow-pack that supplies much of the state’s water supply could decrease by 80% by century’s end. Loss of snow-pack threatens drinking and agricultural water supplies as well as hydropower generation and the health of the state’s creeks and rivers.

In November 2006, Berkeley voters issued a call to action on the climate challenge by overwhelmingly endorsing ballot Measure G. The mandate was simple but bold: Reduce our entire community’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% by the year 2050.

This plan is the result of the campaign that Measure G set in motion. It is rooted in the vision for a sustainable Berkeley that emerged from the climate action planning process. The plan’s purpose is to serve as a guide for setting the community on a path to achieve that vision.

Toolkit:

Climate Change Toolkit

Keyword Area:

Climate, Environmental Health, Land Use, Mitigation, Transportation Planning

Jurisdiction:

Institutional Author:

City of Berkeley (CA)

Submitted:

05/08/2012

Modified:

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Five most recent user comments

Berkeley CAP
By Brendon Haggerty
This plan focuses mostly on mitigation rather than adaptation.  It clearly states the health risks associated with climate change.  It is especially helpful because it includes methodology, legislative examples, and a structure of goals, policies and implementing actions.  This plan is more comprehensive than average.