Climate Change, or Global Warming, is an unprecedented problem for the entire planet and must be addressed at every level: personal, business, institutional and governmental. The failure of our national government to take action to date has been partially offset at the State level by the passage and implementation of AB 32 and at the local level by many cities’ participation in the Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement. In 2006, our city was the first in the County to take part in this program.
On Council, I have advocated the actual implementation of the agreement. The City has recently created its Green House Gas Inventory, in accordance with the Air Pollution Control District’s Climate Action Plan. With Supervisor Jim Patterson and the sponsorship of the Local Government Commission, I have co-chaired a county wide Climate Change Adaptation Community Workshop in order to develop practical, local strategies to slow down and adapt to climate change.
The next step is to embed these strategies in our General Plan, including the Land Use and Circulation Elements Update. This means that all future development will take climate impacts into account at the planning stage. Green House Gas targets need to be set, and reduction programs need to be put in place.
Alternative transportation—by bus, van, bike and foot—needs to be encouraged with enhanced infrastructure supporting it and by removing of incentives for single car automotive travel. Incentives need to be added for the production and use of local products, including food and building materials. Sustainable planning and design need to be part of new developments and retrofits. City-owned equipment, vehicles and facilities need to be powered by means which create the lowest green house gas emissions possible.
As the city representative on the SLO Council of Governments (SLOCOG), the SLO Regional Transportation Agency (SLORTA), and the Air Pollution Control District (APCD), I have made sure that the city is a good regional neighbor in these climate protection efforts, while preserving our residents’ values as embodied in our General Plan.
I have also advocated renewal and expansion of our urban forest. Trees not only enhance our city, but also sequester carbon, clean the air and provide oxygen, shade and protective habitat. As Mayor I will advocate a concerted, community-involved tree planting program featuring drought-tolerant native species to help achieve our greenhouse-gas reduction goals.
