Sacramento’s top polluter is traffic. So why does the county’s climate plan create more?

By The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board | October 05, 2021 | The Sacramento Bee

While it remains to be seen what promises will be made — and likely broken — at the 26th annual UN Climate Change Conference in Scotland next month, you need not travel to Glasgow to see climate denialism in action. Sacramento County has that well in hand.
The latest version of the county’s Climate Action Plan, set to go before the Planning Commission and then the Board of Supervisors after public comment ends Friday, simply doesn’t live up to its name. Representatives of local environmental groups such as 350 Sacramento, the Environmental Council of Sacramento and the Citizens Climate Lobby of Sacramento say the long-awaited document falls far short of promises made more than 10 years ago.

Click here to read the article in full.

Local Transition to Zero Emission Vehicles – Join Us Oct 7

ECOS TAQCC Committee, Thursday Oct. 7th

Please join ECOS’ Transportation, Air Quality & Climate Change (TAQCC) Committee for its regular monthly meeting, on Thursday, October 7th. Details about joining this meeting using “Zoom” are provided below.

A four-agency partnership in the Sacramento Area is moving forward on a transition to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) in the region, based on the need to improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gases, abate exposure to toxics, adapt to a warming planet, and promote efficient mobility. The four agencies have been working together to create a regional ZEV Deployment Strategy to help address these environmental concerns especially in under-resourced communities. Raef Porter (Program Manager, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District) will describe this nearly $1 billion initiative, and Jofil Borja from Sacramento Regional Transit will provide details about SacRT’s program to convert its bus fleet to ZEVs — a major component of the ZEV deployment strategy. The other two members of the partnership are SACOG and SMUD.

The balance of the meeting will be devoted to updates on other active issues, such as deployment of neighborhood air quality monitors, Sacramento County Climate Action Plan, Climate Emergency Declarations, the proposed expansion of the CapCity bridge over the American River, and other topics raised by attendees.

When: Thursday, October 7th, 2021 at 6 pm
Where: Videoconference, hosted by Zoom
Link to join TAQCC Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85805612058
To phone in: 1-669 900 6833, Meeting ID: 858 0561 2058

Discussion re Fully Sustainable Communities in Sacramento Area – Sept 13

On Monday, September 13, 2021, from 6:00 – 7:30 pm, join the ECOS Land Use committee for

A Discussion About Plans for Fully Sustainable Communities in the Sacramento Area

with:

Kathleen Ave, Senior Climate Program Manager; Chair, Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative

and

Greg Taylor, City of Sacramento Architect, Sacramento Valley Station Project Manager

(a) Join Zoom Meeting by computer or smartphone:
Click on, or copy and paste into browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/543524123
Meeting ID: 543 524 123

(b) Join Zoom Meeting by telephone:
Dial: 669 900 6833
Meeting ID: 543 524 123

ECOS Land Use Committee Meeting Agenda
Monday, September 13, 2021
6:00 – 7:30 pm

6:00 p.m. – Welcome, Introductions, Updates
6:10 p.m. – ECOS happenings (Alexandra Reagan)
6:15 p.m. – Discussion About Plans for Fully Sustainable Communities in Sacramento Area
Kathleen Ave, Senior Climate Program Manager; Chair, Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative
Greg Taylor, City of Sacramento Architect, Sacramento Valley Station Project Manager
7:15 p.m. – Project database Review (Co-Chair Robert Meagher)
7:30 p.m. – Adjourn

Photo by KoolShooters from Pexels

Renowned Climate Scientist Dr. Katherine Hayhoe – Sept 10, 3pm

Walking the Path

Save the Date! September 10, 3:00-4:00pm (Pacific), via Zoom Webinar

A thought-provoking afternoon with renowned Climate Scientist Dr. Katherine Hayhoe: Welcoming all Faith and Environmental Organizations to a frank discussion about what we can do about Climate Change on a local and global level.

California State University at Sacramento (CSUS) and the Renaissance Society, in collaboration with diverse educational, environmental and faith-based organizations in the Sacramento region, is proud to announce an exciting presentation by Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, one of the most renowned climate scientists of our time and a riveting speaker. In addition to being a world-class scientist, Dr. Hayhoe is a deeply religious person who strongly encourages members of all faiths to participate in stewarding our planet. She is an atmospheric scientist and the Political Science Endowed Professor in Public Policy at Texas Tech University, where she is Director of their Climate Science Center. She is also the founder and CEO of the scientific firm “ATMOS Research”, where they bridge the gap between scientists and stakeholders to provide relevant, state-of-the-art information on how climate change will affect our lives. This year, Dr. Hayhoe teamed up with Potential Energy, a nonprofit marketing firm, to launch Science Moms, a $10 million campaign to educate and empower mothers to do something about climate change. She also co-wrote A Climate for Change: Global Warming Facts for Faith-Based Decisions, a book that untangles this complex science and tackles many long-held misconceptions about global warming. She is about to release another book in September entitled Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. She argues that when it comes to changing hearts and minds, facts are only one part of the equation. We need to find shared values in order to connect our unique identities to collective action. Among Dr. Hayhoe’s numerous awards and accolades, she was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2014 and United Nations’ Champion of the Earth in 2019.

City of Sacramento General Plan Update, Climate Action Plan, Transportation Priorities: ECOS Comments

On August 23, 2021, ECOS submitted a comment letter to Sacramento City Council regarding the City of Sacramento General Plan Update, Climate Action Plan, and Transportation Priorities. Below are our remarks.
The Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) would like to request the opportunity for a group of stakeholders to give input to the rough drafts now being developed for the 2040 General Plan Update, Climate Action Plan, and the Transportation Priorities Plan.
We understand that in just a month’s time the Draft General Plan will be issued — we know how difficult it can be to change drafts once published. Also, we believe the Transportation Priorities Plan will be finalized prior to the Draft General Plan.
We would like to give input to both documents in the areas of transportation, land use, climate change, and possible shifts in the City’s budget to support the priorities in the Sac2040Vision Guiding Principles, the recommendations of the Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change, and the provisions of the City’s Climate Emergency Declaration.
COVID has restricted communication and we appreciate the City’s continued planning work since November 2019, including the Sac2040Vision Guiding Principles; virtual workshops; change of single-family zoning to increase housing availability; hiring of a Community Engagement Manager; and passage of the New Construction Electrification Ordinance.
Nevertheless, we ask for the chance to discuss with you and staff the contents of the General Plan and Transportation Priorities Plan, before their initial publication.

Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels

In a “Code Red for Humanity,” UN Warns of Accelerating Climate Crisis

International panel of climate scientists says temperatures will rise for decades, even in a best-case scenario

By Jonathan Hahn | August 10, 2021 | Sierra Magazine

…an intensifying climate crisis is locked in for at least the next 30 years. That is the frightening takeaway from a major new United Nations report released on Monday. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, the most authoritative summary of climate science in the world, shows that for the next generation, increasing heat waves and wildfires, hurricanes and floods, drought and sea level rise are now inevitable. And the consequences could be dire—potentially leading to millions of people displaced, thousands of lives lost, and billions in economic damage.
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/code-red-for-humanity-un-warns-accelerating-climate-crisis

Click here to read the full article.