Solana Beach City Council approves updated climate action plan

The Solana Beach City Council approved an updated Climate Action Plan on Oct. 9, specifying the city’s goals on maintaining key environmental metrics.

The city first approved its Climate Action Plan in 2017 with plans to keep it up to date with changing factors such as local data and new state environmental laws.

Some of the updates were to keep the city aligned with state legislation, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2035 and 85% by 2045, relative to 2016 levels. According to the updated version of the Climate Action Plan, the 2045 goal will “require local action to help close the gap between legislative-adjusted emissions forecasts and the emissions limits established by the CAP Update’s targets.”

Measures to achieve greenhouse gas emissions include increasing installation of photovoltaic and battery storage, incentivizing the replacement of gas appliances with electric appliances, and keeping solid waste out of landfills, according to the city.

“While the measures included in the CAP Update are generally geared towards reducing GHG emissions,” according to a city staff report, “many will also result in co-benefits, such as improved environmental conditions, long-term cost savings, conserved resources, strengthened economy, and greater quality of life.”

It added that “successful implementation of the CAP Update will require a coordinated, multi-pronged approach between actions the City itself can take, along with actions that are recommended for residents, local businesses and organizations.”

“On a community-wide level, individuals and businesses can play an important role in combating climate change,” the revised Climate Action Plan says. “By changing habits to consume less energy; producing less waste through recycling, organics processing, and conserving water; and driving less by choosing to carpool, take transit, or walk and bike more frequently, individuals and businesses can work towards reducing their carbon footprint.”