City of Berkeley Climate Action Plan

City of Berkeley Climate Action Plan
Name	City of Berkeley Climate Action Plan
Location	Berkeley, California
Adopted	2016 (updated 2022)
Jurisdiction	Berkeley, California
Authority	Berkeley City Council
Goals	Net Zero by 2045; 50% reduction by 2030
Sectors	Buildings; Transportation; Waste; Energy; Urban Forestry

City of Berkeley Climate Action Plan The City of Berkeley Climate Action Plan is a municipal framework adopted by the Berkeley City Council to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate impacts within Berkeley, California, coordinating with regional and statewide initiatives such as California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, California Air Resources Board, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, East Bay Municipal Utility District, and Association of Bay Area Governments. The plan aligns with international and national frameworks including the Paris Agreement, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, C40 Cities, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, and regional efforts like Plan Bay Area and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.

Background and Objectives

Berkeley’s planning history draws on precedents including the Berkeley Energy Commission, the Berkeley Climate Action Coalition, the University of California, Berkeley campus initiatives, and state statutes such as the Global Warming Solutions Act and Senate Bill 100. Objectives mirror goals set by IPCC, International Energy Agency, World Resources Institute, Natural Resources Defense Council, and local nonprofit partners like 350.org, Sierra Club, Greenpeace USA, Local Clean Energy Alliance, and Community Environmental Council. The plan’s timeline references milestones from the Oakland Climate Action Coalition, the San Francisco Climate Action Plan, the City of Palo Alto Climate Action Plan, and federal guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Targets

The greenhouse gas inventory methodology incorporates protocols by GHG Protocol, California Air Resources Board reporting, and tools used by ICLEI and ICF International, with baseline data compared to inventories from City of San Diego, City of Los Angeles, City of Santa Monica, City of Long Beach, and regional data from Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Targets reference commitments similar to C40 Deadline 2040 targets and state goals in Executive Order B-55-18 and align with modeling from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Berkeley Lab research.

Emission Reduction Strategies and Programs

Strategies encompass building electrification inspired by examples in Berkeley], City of San José, Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia; transportation measures borrow from Bay Area Rapid Transit expansions, AC Transit, Caltrain, Amtrak California, Capitol Corridor, and regional Caltrans corridor planning. Energy programs utilize renewable procurement frameworks like Community Choice Aggregation, evidenced by East Bay Community Energy, Valley Clean Energy, and Marin Clean Energy, and reference renewable technologies from Tesla, Inc., Siemens, General Electric, SunPower Corporation, First Solar, and storage firms such as LG Chem and Panasonic Corporation. Waste reduction draws on practices from Recology, StopWaste.org, Zero Waste International Alliance, and composting models used by San Francisco Department of the Environment, Los Angeles Sanitation, and Seattle Public Utilities. Urban forestry, stormwater, and blue carbon strategies reference programs at Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, East Bay Regional Park District, California Coastal Commission, San Francisco Estuary Institute, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Codes and standards modifications parallel efforts in International Code Council, California Building Standards Commission, Title 24, and local ordinances passed in Berkeley, California and peer cities like Santa Cruz, California.

Implementation, Governance, and Funding

Implementation structures mirror collaborative models between Berkeley City Council, Berkeley Mayor', City Manager of Berkeley, Planning Department (Berkeley), Public Works Department (Berkeley), Berkeley Housing Authority, and advisory bodies such as the Planning Commission (Berkeley), Energy Commission (Berkeley), and Community Environmental Advisory Commission. Funding mechanisms draw on sources like California Climate Investments, Cap-and-Trade Program, Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, Federal Highway Administration grants, Department of Energy programs, Department of Housing and Urban Development funds, and philanthropic partnerships with The Rockefeller Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Gates Foundation, and regional banks including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase. Implementation partnerships include University of California, Berkeley research centers, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Contra Costa County, Alameda County, San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, and labor unions like Service Employees International Union and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Monitoring, Reporting, and Evaluation

Monitoring and reporting procedures adopt standards from Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories, California Air Resources Board reporting, and tools used by ICLEI. Evaluations reference methodologies from RAND Corporation, Urban Climate Change Research Network, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Union of Concerned Scientists, and academic assessments by Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley. Performance indicators cross-reference energy data from Pacific Gas and Electric Company, transportation metrics from Metropolitan Transportation Commission, waste tonnage from Recology, and land-use measurements used in San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission reports. Adaptive management cycles mirror practices in City of New York, City of Los Angeles, and City of Seattle resilience plans.

Community Engagement and Equity Initiatives

Equity-centered approaches are informed by advocacy groups such as Communities for a Better Environment, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, Coalition for Clean Air, La Clínica de La Raza, Centro Legal de la Raza, Urban Habitat, and tenants’ rights organizations in Berkeley, California. Outreach strategies incorporate partnerships with Berkeley Unified School District, Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley Public Library, BART community programs, AC Transit rider outreach, and peer-city examples from Oakland, California, Richmond, California, and San Francisco, California. Equity metrics follow guidance from California Environmental Justice Alliance, Environmental Protection Agency EJSCREEN, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and research from Public Policy Institute of California. Workforce development and just transition initiatives coordinate with Alameda County Workforce Development Board, Peralta Community College District, City College of San Francisco, SEIU Local 1021, and apprenticeship programs promoted by International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and United Steelworkers.

Category:Climate action plans