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

Final Sac County Climate Action Plan Released

September 7, 2021

After years of work and multiple rounds of public review and comment, the final draft of the Sacramento County Climate Action Plan (CAP) has been released! This final draft will be available for public review for a period of 30 days before moving on for approval and implementation. Public comments will be accepted through Oct. 8, 2021.
https://www.saccounty.net/news/latest-news/Pages/Final-Draft-of-Climate-Action-Plan-Released.aspx

Click here for more info.

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.

Wildfires, health and money: How to talk about climate change with skeptics

By Mila Jasper | August 11, 2021 | The Sacramento Bee

Monday marked a major day in climate change news. The United Nations published a new report that found global warming will likely rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius in the next two decades, a level that will bring more instances of extreme weather.
…
There’s a lot to process in the report, which runs many thousands of pages. But critically, it suggests that humans still have a chance to put the brakes on and stop warming from going beyond that 1.5 degree increase. Here’s how to understand the report – and how to talk about it with skeptics – according to an expert on communicating climate science.
…
David Colgan is an environmental writer and the director of communications at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability…“What you need is kind of a balance, they need to see a problem and they need to see a potential way out of it,” Colgan said.

Slow and Active Streets

Ralph Propper, board president of the Environmental Council of Sacramento, mentioned one community-level solution that people can focus on: Sacramento’s “slow and active streets” initiative, instituted during the pandemic, was a great way to reduce emissions in the community. But that pilot program ended in July.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article253398155.html

Click here to read the article in full.

Photo from https://www.pexels.com/photo/backlit-breathing-apparatus-danger-dangerous-279979/

Sacramento County declared a climate emergency. Its action plan should take that seriously.

By The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board | July 18, 2021 | The Sacramento Bee

Sacramento County is still drafting its long-overdue climate action plan, which could have decades-long impacts on how we care for our environment. A favorable outcome will depend on the seriousness of county officials to act in its best interests.
California is in the midst of a rough summer. Sacramento saw surprisingly early 100-degree days in May, and climate experts say the brutal heat waves across the West Coast that have killed hundreds of people and devastated shellfish will become a recurring summer norm. We’re also facing a severe drought of historic proportions. Oh, and did we mention the wildfires that are outpacing last year’s record season?
Depending on the willingness of Sacramento County officials to commit to significant mitigation strategies, it’s no hyperbole to say the county’s climate plan will determine how long Sacramento will remain habitable in the face of impending climate catastrophe.
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article252761058.html

Click here to read the article in full.

Photo by Marta Dzedyshko from Pexels