CAP Update Finally

What is a Climate Action Plan (CAP), and why is updating it so important?  It is a document that lists strategies to reduce our Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, which are measured in carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents.  GHG emissions are the cause of most climate change, the long-term global temperature rises and severe fluctuations in weather patterns. For the past decade or so, each year has been slightly warmer than the previous year, and this results in more heat waves and droughts. Drought conditions make wildfires more frequent and permit them to spread more rapidly. Climate change exacerbates the severity of storms, hurricanes, atmospheric rivers, and floods. Del Mar’s own Dr. Dave Keeling first measured the increase in the level of CO2 in the atmosphere over time, starting in the 1950’s, and the level of CO2 in the atmosphere has been rising ever since and has risen to a critical level.  These GHG emissions primarily come from the burning of fossil fuels, such as gasoline in cars and trucks, and gas furnaces and gas water heaters in homes and businesses. 

Del Mar’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) was adopted in 2016, after ~2 years of planning and writing by our consultants.  CAPs need to be updated, usually every 5 years, since the technologies available are more advanced each year.  For example, buildings are the second highest source of GHG emissions in California, but efforts to electrify buildings, such as with the use of heat pump water and space heating, were not on most peoples’ radar in 2016.  Also, the climate crisis is getting worse each year, so we need to increase our goals of how much we need to reduce our GHG emissions. Every city except one in San Diego County has a CAP, and most get updated regularly.  Our CAP was scheduled to be updated by 2021, but the Covid pandemic interfered, and subsequently the City Council pushed off starting the update until the 2025/2026 fiscal year, which starts July 1.  Finally, we will start the process!

The first step in a CAP is to hire consultants to perform a new GHG inventory (our most recent one was done in 2012 – very outdated).  Then, having that as a baseline, our target goal is established, and measures are developed which will reduce our contribution of CO2 and other GHG into the atmosphere.  Some measures include energy efficiency in homes such as proper wall and attic insulation, incentives for switching from gas appliances to electric ones such as heat pumps and induction stoves.  Other measures will address GHG emissions from transportation (the top producer of GHG emissions), such as promoting electric vehicles, increasing infrastructure for charging EVs, increasing accessibility and use of mass transit, bike safety.  Others address the tree canopy, since trees sequester carbon, purify our air, prevent water runoff, provide shade and cooling. Although we did not achieve many of our previous CAP goals, we did make strides toward the goal of achieving 100% clean energy by 2035 through the establishment of Clean Energy Alliance, which provides much cleaner energy than SDG&E does.

State goals such as the ban on sale of new gas-powered vehicles in California after 2035 are being eroded by the Trump administration, as well as their revoking most of the clean energy actions in the Inflation Reduction Act, so local action to try to reduce GHG emissions is even more critical.