Reso 2021-113 Adopt 2021 CAP and Addendum to 2035 General Plan

Home

[ME na iroropfit[.7: HOW TO USE THIS PLAN The 2021 CAP provides a set of strategies for reducing San Leandro's GHG emissions an imorovina community resilience to hazardous conditions along with the technical foundations behind these strategies and recommendations for how to implement them. If lays out an aporoach for how the City of San Leandro can im rove climate ada tatio meet its 2030 GHG reduction tar et and seta nath for Ion -term GHG reductions out t 2050. The 2021 CAP is not a prescriptive plan with a rigid path, but instead is a document th t demonstrates a potential path for achieving these goals. As the City and communit partners implement this plan, some strategies may turn out to be infeasible or less effectiv . In other cases new opportunities may arise that provide additional GHG reduction an climate adaptation benefits that are not currently accounted for in this plan. The 2021 CA does not limit efforts that go beyond the scope of the strategies it contains and may b thought of as a "floor" for climate action planning in San Leandro rather than a ceiling. The 2021 CAP is also not meant to be San Leandro's final word on climate action plannind Although this plan discusses GHG emissions out to 2050 and climate adaptation out t 2100 this plan is not meant to remain unchanged until these years. City staff will re ularl report on implementation of the 2021 CAP to community members and City officials an will modify CAP implementation based on learned successes and opportunities far improvement community support, available resources and otherfactors. Cit staff will also update the 2021 CAP and the technical background information included in this plan o a regular basis to ensure it remains up to date and reflects current activities. Cha ter contains details on the 2021 CAP implementation approach. WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE? Making meaningful, impactful decisions about reducing GHG emissions and allowing for climate adaptation requires an understanding of the science of climate change. While there are regularly new discoveries and advances in this field, the basics of climate change are a matter of global scientific consensus. There are several gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N20), in Earth's atmosphere that allow light to pass through but trap some of the heat radiating off of Earth's surface rather than allowing it to escape into space. The gases function like the panes of glass in a greenhouse, helping to keep the temperature within the greenhouse at comfortable levels. As a result, these gases are called GHGs and this mechanism is called the greenhouse effect. However, for approximately the past 200 years, human activities have been increasing the concentrations of GHGs in the atmosphere, mostly through the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural San Leandro 2021 Climate Action Plan Page 3