HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/18/2018 Item 13, Veium
From:Eric Veium <eveium@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday,
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:RE: Item 13 – Climate Action Plan and GHG targets Update
Attachments:20180918 SLO Climate Coalition Comments - Item 13 - Climate Action Plan and GHG
Target Update.pdf
Honorable Mayor and Council,
Please see attached comments regarding Item 13 - Climate Action Plan and GHG targets update.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Highest regards,
Eric Veium
Task Force Chair
SLO Climate Coalition
eric@carbonfreeslo.org
805.835.3669
1
RE: Item 13 – Climate Action Plan and GHG targets Update
Honorable Mayor and Council,
On behalf of the SLO Climate Coalition, we enthusiastically recognize you, Mayor Harmon and the entire city
council for your significant and on-going leadership in support of a healthy, secure, and resilient community, a
vibrant, innovative, and prosperous carbon free economy, and an equitable and livable planet for all.
Please consider the following comments:
Carbon Neutrality Target: Consider the following framework to approach a community-wide carbon neutrality
target:
The target should be more than aspirational, it should serve to align general plan policies and shape decisions
large and small; it should inspire and motivate focused and aggressive action by all community members; and it
should serve as a model of leadership for other communities to follow.
1. Adopt a resolution that sets a broad, aggressive and all-inclusive target to achieve carbon neutrality by
2035.
a. 2035 is aggressive and achievable
b. 2035 aligns with the City’s general plan
c. 2035 is short enough to maintain a persistent sense of urgency and require ongoing aggressive
action.
d. 2035 is long enough to allow for the natural turnover of internal combustion vehicles and
natural gas using appliances, sufficient time for proper planning and resourcing of programs to
retrofit homes and businesses, and sufficient time to allow for the accelerating market
transformation of electric vehicles and other market disrupting technologies to occur.
2. Encourage staff to create sector-specific interim policy targets such as:
• Carbon neutral new single & multifamily homes by 2020 (not just CA Code - zero net energy)
• Carbon free electricity by 2025
• Carbon neutral municipal operations by 2025
• Carbon neutral new commercial by 2025
• Carbon neutral existing homes by 2030
• Carbon neutral transportation by 2035
Regional Carbon Neutrality Partnership: Cal Poly and the City of SLO community, economy, and carbon
emissions are inextricably linked. Consider pursing a formal regional carbon neutrality partnership with Cal Poly
and other strategic neighbors.
Climate Action Principles: The SLO Climate Coalition strongly supports staffs proposed principles for pursuing
carbon neutrality restated below for the benefit of the community:
• First, a successful approach prioritizes commitments to innovation, leadership, learning, and sharing.
• Second, a successful approach makes a commitment to seeing opportunity in the community’s
challenges, so that climate action isn’t something that is done instead of other key work, but rather is
integrated into organizational, financial and the decision making culture.
• Third, a successful approach makes a commitment to considering equity and economy in every decision.
• Taken together, these principles ensure that climate action can be a powerful change agent for
economic development, equity, and enhancing quality of life in the city.
Scope of Work:
• Advanced Climate Action Planning: Advanced climate action planning requires development of a
business case using detailed life cycle accounting. A strong business case is critical to gain broad based
community buy-in and justification for increased and ongoing investment by the community in strategic
carbon reduction activities. Cal Poly is undertaking a climate action planning process using CESA (Climate
Energy Scenario Analysis), an opensource tool developed by UC Santa Cruz and Ecoshift Consulting.
CESA is a techno/financial scenario analysis tool that enables development of a business case for climate
action providing life cycle accounting and scenario net-present value. UC Santa Cruz found that their
preferred carbon neutrality scenario had a positive net present value, providing an attractive return on
investment. UC Santa Cruz was able to justify additional staff and accelerated investments based on the
results of their effort. Please encourage staff to explore this approach and evaluate the possibility for
the CESA tool to be adapted for use by the City.
• Community Choice Energy: Encourage staff to consider the strategic role of the region’s nascent
community choice energy program in achieving the city’s carbon neutrality targets.
• Adaptation: The Coalition supports the city taking proactive measures to ensure community
resiliency and a city-wide strategic approach to climate adaptation. Additionally, consider initiating
planning activities to anticipate, encourage, or mitigate the positive and/or negative community
impacts from autonomous vehicles and other advanced mobility.
• Branding and Marketing: What is the best branding language and messaging that has broad acceptance
and clarity to the community? Net-Zero Carbon, Zero Carbon, Carbon Free, Carbon Neutral or other?
Consider consulting with the City’s marketing contractor for insight and guidance.
• Funding: Please ensure that staff has proper resources to undertake the necessary scope of work to
produce a plan that is both complete and actionable.
Hard work is hard: The path to carbon neutrality will be hard AND it will be worth it. San Luis Obispo is blessed
with visionary leadership, capable professional staff, and an engaged community. The SLO Climate Coalition is
committed to supporting your leadership with resources and action.
Thank you for your consideration.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Highest regards,
Eric Veium
Task Force Chair
SLO Climate Coalition
eric@carbonfreeslo.org
805.835.3669