5A Public Hearings 2021 0719 - Laserfiche WebLink

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San Leandro 2021 Climate Action Plan Page 1 1. Introduction ABOUT THIS PLAN The 2021 Climate Action Plan (CAP) is San Leandro’s comprehensive strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to adapt to changing climate conditions. This CAP demonstrates the leadership of community members and the City on sustainability and climate action. San Leandro’s General Plan directs the preparation, ongoing implementation, and update of the CAP, providing the framework for San Leandro to reduce its community-wide GHG emissions in a manner consistent with State reduction targets for 2020 and 2030 and the longer-term goal for 2050. This document outlines both the City’s successes to date in promoting environmental responsibility and provides a blueprint for continued sustainability. The CAP is prepared consistent with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines for Plans for the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (California Code of Regulations Section 15183.5). This allows the 2021 CAP to support and possibly streamline environmental review of GHG emissions related to future development projects within the city. The 2021 CAP is a direct update to the 2009 CAP. The 2021 CAP analyzes San Leandro’s progress to date in meeting its adopted GHG reduction targets and contains new information to achieve more significant and longer-term GHG reductions. It also presents a work plan and monitoring program for the City to track progress and effectiveness of implementation over time. The CAP allows City decision-makers and the community to understand the sources and magnitude of local GHG emissions, establish goals to reduce GHG emissions, and prioritize steps to achieve GHG emission reduction targets and increase resilience. The CAP updates and expands the City’s goals, strategies, and actions to address climate adaptation and GHG emissions from the transportation, energy, off-road equipment, waste, and water and wastewater sectors, as well as BART operations. It also revises San Leandro’s implementation program and framework to monitor and report progress. Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Addressing the challenges posed by climate change requires two separate but related approaches, as illustrated in Figure 1. The first is GHG reduction, also called climate change mitigation or GHG mitigation, which focuses on reducing emissions of GHGs that are responsible for climate change. The second, climate adaptation, recognizes that some degree of climate change is inevitable and focuses on reducing the potential harm caused by these changes. Some strategies may address only one of these approaches, while others provide both GHG mitigation and climate adaptation benefits. This updated CAP is a holistic plan that will help San Leandro reduce its GHG emissions while simultaneously adapting to changing climate conditions. 45