Science Friday with Susan Scott Peterson | June 21, 2024
Are Cities Meeting Their Climate Targets?
“The state of decarbonization is lopsided. It’s really imbalanced in this country,” says Hilari Varnadore, a vice president at the U.S. Green Building Council, where she oversees a national program that helps cities with sustainability goals. “We have places—cities and states—that are just really accelerating progress, big time. And then there [are] just places that it’s moving super slow.”
We are advised this annexation would constitute one of the largest industrial projects in the
City of Sacramento’s history, and we cannot understand why the City would consider such
a development directly next to a large residential community, a sensitive protected
wetland and threatened species habitat, and a school with young children. For the complete letter, click here. — Westlake Master Association, 4701 Westlake Parkway, Sacramento, California 95835
By Isabella Kwai and Emma Bubola | April 9, 2024 | The New York Times
Experts said it was the first time an international court determined that governments were legally obligated to meet their climate targets under human rights law.
…
“It is the first time that an international court has affirmed clearly that a climate crisis is a human rights crisis,” said Joie Chowdhury, a senior lawyer with the Center for International Environmental Law, an international group that voiced its support for KlimaSeniorinnen’s case.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/09/world/europe/climate-human-rights.html
On March 29, 2024, ECOS submitted a letter to Folsom City Council regarding the request they’ve received from AKT development to initiate hearings before Sacramento LAFCO to approve sphere of influence designation for a substantial area of land south of the city’s current city limits (and extending well into El Dorado County).
Below is an excerpt from our letter.
…initiation of this process has significant implications for City residents as well as county,
regional and state policies and programs. Of particular interest is how a supply of water to accommodate the proposed development might be made available. Place of use restrictions on Folsom’s water rights will limit the availability of surface water use in the proposed development area.
…We also have concerns regarding the project’s traffic impacts and increases in emissions resulting from the project’s buildout. Under California state law the Sacramento Region must meet mandated targets for greenhouse gas reduction and air quality by 2030. The approval of a very large greenfield most certainly does not advance the long-term ability to meet these targets.
Mailing address: PO Box 1526, Sacramento, CA 95812
Email: office [at] ecosacramento [dot] net
909 12th St., Suite 203, Sacramento, CA 95814